Them Boys
by Kittenshift17
Summary: Hermione is sent back in time to the Marauders Era. Now she goes to school with people she only knows as being dead, Hogwarts Professors and an Azkaban Escapee. She's stuck in the 70s living a life where she is falling in love with a Marauder. And Hermione will do ANYTHING to keep the friends she's made from the fate she knows will befall them without her interference.
1. Blow Me One Last Kiss

**_IMPORTANT Author's Note:_ Hey y'all. So, since so many of you are having trouble getting over the fact that I made a mistake and didn't do my research before I published this, I'm doing some editing, in which i will amend plot-line errors such as Hermione's age, Dumbledore being Headmaster, James being chaser, teacher names and general editing of spelling and grammar mistakes. I was going to save doing this until i finished the whole story, but I've gotten a number of emails and reviews lately pointing out constantly the fact that Dumbledore is Headmaster is spite of the fact that it's not pivotal to this particular fan fic. I'll be doing it slowly since I'm swamped with Uni assignments at the moment, and I'm sorry to all who get an author alert from this and get excited thinking I've updated when i haven't. I do recommend re-reading though, since i'm tweaking a few other plot twists that i'm not 100% happy with. Apologies and much love. xx-Kitten.**

_**Them Boys**_

Chapter 1: Blow Me One Last Kiss

Hermione Granger sat twirling her quill in the library. She had a massive assignment due on the time travel for Professor McGonagall and the book she had found held plenty of information. Hermione glanced around her to make sure no one was watching, before smiling to herself. She had just found the incantation for a spell that was supposed to allow for small leaps backwards or forwards in time. It was the same type of spell placed on time turners that allowed for travel of up to five hours backward in time. Mostly she just wanted to test the spell, to make sure that it was correct before including it in her essay.

Murmuring softly Hermione flicked her wand in the same motion indicated on the page in front of her.

She could even feel herself grinning as the world started to go fuzzy around her as it had always done when she used the Time Turner in third year. But that was before her whole body heated up until it felt like she was on fire. That was before fireworks exploded behind her eyes and she heard the sharp resounding crack of an explosion.

That was before everything went black.

The next thing Hermione knew she was slamming into the hard ground on her back, knocking the wind out of her completely.

She could hear noises, but as of yet her brain was far too scrambled to be able to quantify them as being anything more than white noise. As she lay there trying to get her breath back Hermione felt a rolling sense of dread. This couldn't be good. Nothing like this had ever happened when she used the Time Turner. This hurt.

All over her body she was hurting, as though every nerve ending in her body had been attached to an electric current as was receiving low level charges of electricity. It made her feel tingly all over and not in the good way that she felt when Ron kissed her. This was a bad tingle.

Hermione gasped as the noises she could hear shifted into perfect clarity and she heard voices very close to her.

"Who is she?"

"I've never seen her before. Where did she come from?"

"She just appeared when that almighty crack sounded."

The voices were male and she could hear the confusion and wariness in their tones as they spoke. Their words did nothing to quell her slowly mounting panic. If they didn't know her or have any idea where she came from then something had gone dreadfully wrong.

Hermione cursed herself without opening her eyes. She'd been warned so many times that awful things happened to witches who meddled with time. She should have known better that to trust a spell written in a book. She had learned that lesson just weeks ago when Harry used that awful Spell from the tattered old Potions book he carried everywhere.

And now look at her. Blasted who knew where and more importantly who knew when? In pain all over and apparently arriving in a fashion that sounded very much like Apparating. Maybe opening her eyes would help.

Hermione almost screamed when she opened her eyes.

There were two black haired boys peering down at her curiously. They wore Gryffindor Quidditch Robes.

"Harry?" Hermione asked, a flood of relief pouring over her as she recognised the face of one of the boys.

"Who's Harry?" the one that didn't look like Harry murmured to Harry.

Oh shoot!

She would recognise that long black hair anywhere. And as she peered more closely at the Harry look alike she realised he didn't have Harry's eyes. His eyes were hazel, rather than bottle green like Harry's. And Hermione knew there could only be one boy who looked that much like Harry and had an outstandingly handsome black haired friend.

James Potter and Sirius Black were the boys peering down at her. And instead of being flung back in time two hours, Hermione had somehow blasted herself back twenty years in time.

The two Marauders were still staring down at her warily, though they looked even more confused now.

"Erm..." Hermione began, testing how much it hurt to lift her head. "I don't suppose one of you curious gentlemen could help me up and point me in the direction of Professor Albus Dumbledore?" Hermione asked them softly.

They both bent forward and slid their hands beneath her shoulders, one on either side of her body and hoisted her to her feet. Hermione smiled gratefully, moments before she stumbled precariously to the left and someone's warm arms scooped her up before she could fall, cradling her against a strong, well muscled chest, bridal style. Hermione gasped as she realised her face was now only inches away from the face of a teenage Sirius Black. He smiled at her reassuringly and Hermione couldn't help but admire his face now. It was much less drawn and ravaged than the face Hermione had known.

"Ooh." Hermione gasped as her saviour began to walk slowly, cradling her easily in his arms.

"You alright love?" Sirius's voice asked her when the waves of nausea rolled through her at his movement and she let her head fall sideways onto his shoulder. His long black hair tickled her cheeks.

"I'm fine, just a little woozy thanks Sirius." Hermione murmured "Please, I need to see Dumbledore immediately." She told him weakly.

"How do you know my name? I'm sure I would have remembered meeting you and I can honestly say I've never seen you before." Sirius asked her curiously, sounding suspicious.

Shoot!

She'd already slipped up.

Just because she had worked out who these boys were didn't mean that she should let on that she knew their names. She was twenty years in the past. She hadn't even been born yet. Acting on instinct to avoid his question Hermione let her entire body go limp as though she had fainted.

"I think she fainted." Hermione heard another boy say.

Sirius shook her slightly but Hermione stayed as limp as possible.

"You're right Moony. She's fainted. Prongs get Dumbledore, she asked for him twice. I'll take her to the Hospital Wing."

"What about training Padfoot?" James asked him incredulously.

"Get Dumbledore James. This could be an emergency. She appeared out of nowhere. And it's not like I need any more beater practice." Sirius Black told his friend as he started striding off the Quidditch pitch with Hermione cradled tightly in his arms.

Hermione stayed silent as the young Sirius Black carried her along. Laying limp like this was beginning to hurt her neck but she couldn't tip him off yet. It would do no good to have him try to question her again, especially since she was clearly a complete idiot and likely to blurt out things like knowing his name when she wasn't supposed to have ever seen him in her life before today.

Lying there limp in his arms Hermione tried to deduce how old the marauders might be. She remembered all sorts of information that Harry had managed to gather together about his parents and his father's best friends.

They had to have been above fifth year though, Hermione remembered Harry telling her that they hadn't achieved animagi until their fifth year. And how else would they have figured out their nicknames without knowing their animal forms?

"Who are you?" Sirius murmured as he made his way through the entrance hall and up the stairs to the Hospital Wing. Hermione fought not to tense up; surely he didn't know she was only faking having fainted. She didn't have to worry about it for long though.

"MADAME POMFREY!" Sirius hollered loudly as he kicked open the door of the Hospital Wing. Hermione tensed up in his arms in shock at his loud voice. Well now how was she supposed to fake it?

Sirius paused in his striding to peer down at the girl in his arms. She had gone all tense and he smiled reassuringly when she lifted her head and opened her chocolate eyes. Sirius's blue eyes searched hers as she tightened her grip on his neck and attempted to make herself lighter in his arms.

"Where am I?" she squeaked, faking confusion.

"I brought you to the Hospital wing love, you fainted back there."

"But I need to see Dumbledore immediately!" She demanded weakly, attempting to wriggle in his arms so that she could stand up on her own.

"Easy there" Sirius said, tightening his grip on her "Dumbledore will be on his way in just a minute. You appeared out of nowhere and then fainted. You couldn't even stand by yourself. Stop wriggling while I put you on the bed, would you?"

Hermione paused her wriggling and considered the boy who had hold of her. He was ridiculously good looking and the smirk on his face said he knew it too. His long black hair hung in a shiny wild tangle to his shoulders. His strong jaw was dusted with five o'clock shadow; his lips looked utterly kissable, he had a cute nose and deep set blue eyes.

In this time Sirius's face wasn't worn and lined with worry and exhaustion and horror. Here his face was smooth and clean and new and utterly handsome. His hair was clean, though messy from flying; it didn't hang in lank matted strands as it had when Hermione first met him, but fell nicely around his handsome face. He was tall, at least six feet. And his body beneath his Quidditch robes looked lithe and strong and well muscled.

"Who are you?" Hermione asked him softly when he had placed her gently on the bed, pretending she didn't already know he was Sirius Black/Padfoot/Snuffles/James Potter's Best Friend/ Marauder.

"Sirius Black what in Merlin's name do you think you are doing?" Demanded an angry female voice from off to Hermione's left "How dare you come in here shouting like that! I ought to give you detention!"

"Sorry Madame Pomfrey, but this girl needs your immediate attention." Sirius told the nurse. Hermione could tell from his smirk that he was less than sincere about having shouted so obnoxiously.

"And who are you young lady?" Demanded a much younger version of Madame Pomfrey, attempting to force the anger out of her voice.

"My name is Hermione. I need to see Professor Albus Dumbledore immediately." Hermione told her. It seemed unwise to give anyone from this time any more information than that. At least until she spoke to Dumbledore. Hermione glanced quickly at Sirius who was watching her closely.

"It's alright Poppy, I'll take it from here I think, unless the young lady requires immediate medical attention." Hermione glance around quickly at the strong, calming voice of the headmaster she knew.

"Oh thank Merlin" Hermione muttered gratefully when Dumbledore strode to her bedside. James Potter lingered behind him for a moment before moving to stand next to Sirius.

"Professor I need to speak with you privately. It's very important." Hermione said clearly.

MadamePomfrey was scanning Hermione with her eyes and Hermione flinched slightly when the nurse tilted Hermione's face this way and that checking for injury.

"I've never seen this girl before in my life." She declared when she concluded that Hermione had no life threatening injuries.

"Please professor. It's imperative that I speak to you privately. Now." Hermione said, attempting to keep the panic out of her voice.

Dumbledore was watching her piercingly over the top of his half moon spectacles.

"Very well, if you have no serious injuries then we will speak privately. Would you prefer to speak here or do you feel confident that you could walk to my office?" Dumbledore asked her.

Hermione glanced at Sirius Black again, who was smirking widely at Dumbledore's question.

"I'm not sure if I can walk very far. The boy over there carried me in here." Hermione said, feigning ignorance of his name.

"Well then my dear perhaps it would be best if we spoke here. Mr. Potter, Mr. Black thank you for your fast action. Leave us please." Dumbledore said.

The two Marauders looked like they wanted to protest, but when Dumbledore fixed them a look they closed their mouths and began to turn away.

"Erm... Thank you for helping me." Hermione called softly after them. Sirius and James both glanced back at her with a smile and a nod but neither of them said another word.

When everyone had gone Dumbledore waved his wand a moment.

"Now, my dear we have complete privacy. However, while you seem to know me, I feel certain that I have absolutely no idea who you are."

"Sorry professor. My name is Hermione Granger." Hermione began "I needed to see you immediately because I've always known you to be the best person to go to during any sort of magical crisis."

Dumbledore didn't say anything but the gleam in his blue eyes said he was intensely curious now.

"You see sir, my name is Hermione Granger and I was born on the nineteenth of September 1979." Hermione told him softly. "Until a few minutes ago I was a sixth year student at Hogwarts in the year 1996."

"Merlin! Well then I see why you needed to speak to me. After all this is the year 1976 and as time goes you have yet to be born, yet here you are." Dumbledore said softly, his blue eyes displaying his shock. "How did you come to be in this time then, when you are from twenty years in the future Miss Granger?"

"Well I was in library, working on an essay for Professor McGonagall on time travel. I came across a spell that is supposed to be used in Time Turners. I just wanted to test it and make sure that the spell was correct. I originally intended to go back two hours in time. Something went wrong though."

"That much is clear yes. Because my dear I'm afraid I have no idea what a Time Turner is." Dumbledore told her gently.

Hermione went cold at his words. Of course she should have known that. She had read just minutes ago that the Time Turner hadn't been invented until 1981. And until that time no one knew anything about time travel at all. She was stuck here.

"Now Miss Granger, I would imagine that if you had done your research correctly you would know that Time Travel has yet to be proven successful. And given the mishap that has landed you here I would hazard a guess that the spell you used would not be the best to try sending you back to your own time. I fear that you may just be stuck here my dear." Professor Dumbledore told her gently, patting her hand with a sad smile.

"Oh No" Hermione moaned, burying her face in her hands.

"I'm afraid so Miss Granger. Now then, I'm sure it will take you awhile to adjust to the news, but we must invent a life story for you that does not reveal you as being a victim of time travel gone wrong. Have you told anyone anything about yourself? Mr. Black or Mr. Potter perhaps?"

"I told Sirius and Madame Pomfrey that my first name was Hermione. And I accidently called James Harry and let slip that I already knew Sirius by name." Hermione said sadly. She would never see Harry and Ron again.

"You knew them?" Dumbledore asked her seriously. Hermione looked at him bewildered.

"Oh, you don't know all that I know of the future. Of course you don't because it's 1976 and the Marauders are still in school. Professor, I accidently called James by Harry's name because Harry is the name of James' son in the future. Sirius is Harry's godfather. I knew Sirius and liked him a lot. He died last year." Hermione said sadly.

"I see. Well Miss Granger it would be for the best I think, if you were to keep that sort of information to yourself. Now, being as you will be stuck here for some time I think it best if we create a new life for you while you are here. You will have to use your first name, as you have told it to Sirius and to Madame Pomfrey. Your last name is one I've never heard before?"

"I'm Muggle-born Professor."

"That explains it then. Well all the same I think it will be best for you to leave the name Granger behind as you will be born in three years into the muggle world and shall eventually attend school with the offspring of people within the school now. I think it would be best if we give you a surname that others will not question. And we can't give you a name that students within the school might question your relation to them, otherwise I would choose a pureblood surname for you like Prewett. However that would make you related to far too many students who've been through the school, namely Gideon and Fabian and Molly Prewett, as well as some of the Blacks. Perhaps a lesser known wizarding family…. Oh I have it!"

Dumbledore snapped his fingers suddenly causing Hermione to jump.

"Sorry for startling you my dear. Now tell me if you think this story a decent one that you would be able to remember the details for. You are Miss Hermione Peverell. You are seventeen, born the same date, except in 1959 instead of 1979 as obviously we have not reached that year yet. You have until today, been attending Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in France. I don't suppose you can already speak French?"

"Actually, I do sir." Hermione smiled modestly.

"Excellent. Well then in this time you are a direct descendant of the Peverell brothers, Cadmus's line I think will do nicely. Now, that name died out in the male line. Therefore, your mother was a witch who comes from a very long line of women dating all the way back to the last true Peverells. All of these witches never married and by strange coincidence the children they born out of wedlock were all daughters who followed their ancestors and also remained unmarried. You've no idea who your father is, though he too is a wizrad. You Mother has just died setting into motion very old magic that transported you directly to me, as I am your godfather. As you have no other known, living relatives, you must now live here in the castle as I do, and you must attend school here as it is unsafe for you to return to France. What do you think?"

Hermione considered Professor Dumbledore's words. She had never heard of the Peverell brothers. The story allowed explanation for why she had not attended Hogwarts until now, and provided her with a cover so that she didn't have to go into detail about her life because painful memories of her mother made her sad. Having Dumbledore as her godfather allowed her a guardian though she was already seventeen and provided the perfect excuse as to why she had transferred schools.

"I think I could remember that." Hermione said quietly.

"Excellent. Now, what house were you placed in during your time?"

"I was a Gryffindor, Professor. I was in my sixth year studying Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Arithmancy, Muggle Studies, History of Magic, Ancient Runes and Astornomy. I'd like to take Care of Magical Creatures instead of Muggle Studies here if I could?" Hermione said, realising that studying Muggle studies in the seventies would make it much harder to keep her secret as she was likely to blurt out information about televisions or DVDs something.

"Yes you do seem the Gryffindor type, and Hermione, while you have always known me as your Professor, you should refer to me from now on as Albus, especially to any friends you make in this time. It will lend certain believability to the tale that I am your godfather. Now, I think that it would be best if we have a special dormitory provided for you in the Gryffindor tower. That way you will be able to make friends but not be viewed maliciously by the sixth year girls upon moving into their suite. And as you will have no place to stay during the holidays, your own dormitory will provide you with a space where you can reside year round as I expect you may very well be stuck in this time permanently."

Hermione had to fight back tears for a moment.

"Professor, if I have been blasted back to this time, what happens to the me that existed in my time?"

"Well my dear, time travel is very difficult. As of now the future you knew no longer exists because you are here now and have not yet been born. I suspect that the life you create for yourself here may greatly impact the future of everyone around you. In fact your presence here now may prevent you from ever being born in the future though if time works on a continuous loop as I suspect, you probably still will be in order to be shot back here."

Hermione gulped audibly at the professor's explanation.

"Come now my dear, I know it is a lot to take in, but we must get you settled and you must have clothing and books and supplies and other such things. Luckily it is Saturday afternoon. First I must notify the castle of your presence and have a suite provided for you. Then you and I shall take a trip into London and go to Diagon Alley for all your supplies. Can you walk?" Dumbledore asked her.

Very slowly Hermione swung her legs over the edge of the bed and placed her feet on the floor. After a few wobbly moments she regained her balance and was able to walk with as much proficiency as she always had.

"I can… But sir I have no money or anything." Hermione worried, suddenly realising how truly alone and cut off she was from the world. She couldn't even support herself in this time since she couldn't get a job until she finished school.

"My dear Hermione, what else are godfathers for but to provide guidance and assistance?" He said, eyes twinkling.

"Oh Professor, no I just couldn't I can make do. I can't let you spend money on me." Hermione protested.

"My dear I understand even from knowing you this short time that you are a particularly proud young witch, but I assure you I have more money than I could ever spend and no one to spend it all on. That is where you come in. I will see to it that you will have everything you need in order to restart you life here when you've no one else. We are kindred souls my dear, we've both no one. So I will help you by providing for you, and you will help me by graciously accepting the money and gifts I give you the way any beloved goddaughter would. Come along now my dear, and we will settle you into a life within the seventies." Albus Dumbledore said firmly, taking her hand and tucking it into the crook of his arm and leading her out of the Hospital Wing.


	2. Oldest Friends

**Them Boys**

Chapter 2: Oldest Friends.

Hermione had never experienced anything as interesting as going to Diagon Alley with Albus Dumbledore. He insisted that she have anything she wanted or thought she might need for school and to make a new life for herself here in the 70s where she was not just a student at Hogwarts but a permanent resident. He even insisted on buying her some fun things for her room to make the suite she would have at Hogwarts feel more like her home.

She had brand new spell books for Sixth Grade, which Hermione found fascinating because of the information she had memorised in her original time that wasn't yet printed in text books in the 70s. He quizzed her on her best subjects and she found herself blushing when she explained that she was gifted at all of them.

Professor Dumbledore had Madame Makins shop knock up several black cloaks for her, all with bright silver fastenings. He was especially dismayed when he learned that somehow Hermione's wand had not travelled back in time with her and they made a lengthy stop at Ollivander's. Mr. Ollivander was much less wrinkled than the version of him Hermione had previously known, however his reedy voice still lurked in the shelves of his dusty shop when he greeted them.

Dumbledore introduced her to Mr. Ollivander as being his goddaughter and Mr. Ollivander seemed very pleased to make her acquaintance. Hermione was surprised when the wand that picked her was not the one she had carried in her own time. Instead of the 10 and 3/4 inch vine wood wand with dragon heartstring, this time the wand that chose her was 11 inch maple wood with unicorn hair as the core. Mr. Ollivander was particularly surprised by this because he claimed to have only made the wand the previous week on a whim as oftentimes maple and Unicorn hair did not make for a useful magical combination.

However when Hermione tested it she found it sat even better in her small hand than her old wand had ever done and the magic she was able to perform with it felt easy as though the wand jumped to her every whim eagerly. She was very pleased with it.

It was when Albus insisted on taking Hermione to Eeylops Owl Emporium that Hermione shrieked in shock. Because sitting in a cage behind the desk of the cashier was a small ginger pug face kitten. Hermione couldn't believe her luck. Surely the kitten couldn't be Crookshanks.

"Excuse me, but how long do cats generally live in our world?" She asked the stern looking wizard as the bench. He looked almost as disgruntled as many of the owls ruffling their feathers in the aftermath of her shriek.

"Well that depends, if they are well looked after they can live up to thirty or forty years sometimes and if they have magic in their blood they live even longer." He replied sternly.

At that moment the kitten puffed out its stripy orange fur and swiped its paw through the bars of the cage at the other kittens sleeping in their own cages.

"How much is a kitten?" Hermione asked, watching the orange ball of fury fondly.

"Well now usually I charge seven Galleons for a tomcat, and eight for a female." The cashier said, following her eyes to the orange kitten. "But you can have that one for five Galleons if you like. He's got a wicked temper and he's a biter. I had to separate him from the others because he was too rough with them. He's part-Kneazle too, so he's intelligent and independent, but aggressive as you can see." The wizard said as the kitten threw himself against the bars and swiped his paw at the other regular kittens so hard that his cage almost tipped over.

"I don't normally stock kitten when they're part Kneazle because they're so aggressive, but the woman who bought him in a few weeks ago said that her cat had given birth to a large litter of them, after having bred with a Kneazle tom. She was distraught because she'd managed to give away a few of them to friends and family ho bonded with them, but the rest she gave to me. I managed to sell all of them except him." Hermione watched the wizard glare at the kitten in his cage.

"Can I see him?" Hermione asked softly. She wanted to make sure it was in fact Crookshanks after all, not just a grouchy orange kitten that looked like him. The cashier fetched the cage down, after donning dragon hide gloves. The kitten clawed viciously at the hands on his cage, yowling and hissing in protest. Hermione giggled.

The kitten's yellow eyes landed on her at the sound and he stopped hissing suddenly. The cashier made a movement of protest when Hermione unlatched the cage and reached in, picking up the orange kitten. As soon as Hermione cradled him against her chest the kitten began to purr and Hermione smiled. Lifting his front left paw Hermione found what she was looking for. Crookshanks had always had a large white spot on his black paws and this little kitten had one just the same.

"If you don't mind me saying miss, that one seems destined to go to you. Everyone else that gets anywhere near his cage or him, is likely to lose blood and he's curled up and gone straight to sleep for you."

Hermione smiled.

"Yes I'll take him. He is destined to be my companion in life." Hermione told the man. Albus smiled happily as he paid the man while Hermione tried not to cry into the fur of her only link to her old life.

"Are you alright Hermione?" Albus asked her as they exited the shop and a tear slid down her cheek.

Hermione nodded as she wiped at the traitorous tear.

"His name is Crookshanks. He was my cat in my old life; obviously he was much older then. But I will make a small wager with you, I'll wager that when we get back to Hogwarts, Crookshanks will be particularly comfortable with Sirius Black and will attempt to claw the face off Peter Pettigrew." Hermione told her Professor.

Albus smiled at her. Mostly to hide his shock that she knew the names of boys she had never met in this life.

"My dear, I understand that you and I probably shared a professional relationship of student and teacher in your time, however here, while you are not actually my goddaughter, for all intents and purposes I am now your family. You have been particularly brave in accepting the hopelessness of your situation thus far, but I'm sure it must hurt to know that you have lost your family and friends and the life you knew. I'm immensely proud of you for being so strong, but my dear as is the tradition of godfathers, you ought to know that I am available for hugs any time you might need them and have particularly honed skills when dealing with emotional young women, should you ever have need of such qualifications."

Holding Crookshanks to her chest Hermione gave Albus a watery smile.

"Thank you for all you've done for me. You've thought of things that I wouldn't have thought of for days. And thank you for paying for all these supplies for me. I'll pay you back for all of it I promise."

Albus Dumbledore chuckled.

"Hermione, my dear, you will do nothing of the sort. I simply will not allow it. For all intents and purposes I am your godfather and you are the goddaughter I get to spoil rotten. Now, we've got you all the wizarding things you could need, but you will probably need other things too, like undergarments and soap and such things. Do you want to get these things now or would you prefer to buy only a few and order the rest of the supplies you need at a later date?"

"Erm..." Hermione said, blushing slightly at having a discussion about undergarments with Dumbledore. "I think it might be best if I get some now and order the rest later. I don't have any muggle money though."

"I think it might be best if perhaps you take this" Albus said, handing her four fifty pound notes "And I will take all of your supplies and mind them in The Leaky Cauldron while you get the things you need. I understand that as a young lady you might be uncomfortable with an old man like me coming shopping for undergarments."

Hermione laughed in relief.

"I shouldn't be too long." Hermione told him as they made their way to a table in the Leaky Cauldron, where Albus sat down. Hermione put Crookshanks into his cage again and waved to Dumbledore before exiting the pub. Looking around Hermione spotted a string of shops that looked like they might sell the things she was after and hurried toward them.

Hermione entered the first one with a smile. She had forgotten that the fashion of the seventies was so... flared. The sales assistant approached her and was able to point her in the direction of undergarments and Hermione found two of those efficient plastic packages that held ten pairs of knickers each, that weren't altogether abhorrent. Next she searched the women's clothing racks. It wouldn't do to only have the jeans, sweater and the knitted jumper Mrs. Weasley had given her for Christmas last year to wear at Hogwarts in her free time to wear for the whole year.

The sales assistant came back when Hermione stood perplexed in the women's section.

"Can I help you with anything?" the elderly woman asked her.

"Oh I do hope so. I need some nice clothing. Nothing too fancy of course, but something to wear at my boarding school when I don't have to be in uniform. I need some pyjamas too please. I lost all of my clothes in a fire."

The old woman smiled reassuringly "Oh, you poor dear. We'll see what we can do shall we? Now, let me look at you. Very petite aren't you dear? Ok well now this will look nice, and these, oh and you'll just have to have these." The woman fluttered through the racks, handing Hermione all sorts of items to try on and look at.

"Can I try them on?" Hermione asked when she had five pairs of pants some in different colour some different styles, a skirt, a dress and twelve shirts and a jacket and three jumpers and two pair of flannel pyjamas.

"Of course dear. There's a change room over here. Let me know if you don't like anything. I'll wait right here ok? Take this too" She said happily, handing Hermione a purple bathrobe as Hermione began trying on clothes. She loved the pyjamas, and the shirts the woman had picked were all comfortable and nice colours and varying styles. The skirt fit nicely and the jacket looked good over the flared jeans. The jumper worked too and the bathrobe would make a nice addition to her life since she'd never owned a thick heavy one like this before. The dress however, just wouldn't hang right.

"Well never mind dear. It's a very nice dress, but there's no use buying it when it won't hang right. Do you need anything else?" the woman asked her kindly. Hermione shook her head.

After she paid for the items she asked the woman if she could direct her to a drug store for bathroom supplies.

Two shops down Hermione found exactly what she had been looking for. The drug store offered her all the basic toiletries, including soap, shampoo and conditioner, tooth paste and a toothbrush, moisturiser and her feminine products. The range was far less expansive as it was in the 90s; however the products were nonetheless serviceable. She also bought herself a bottle of perfume that she'd picked up on a whim as the service lady scanned everything for sale. It smelled of wildflowers, sweet and fragrant.

She also stepped into a cheap store and bought herself a hairbrush, having forgotten it at the chemist. While she was there Hermione browsed the shelves, wondering if there was anything else she might need in the next few days. She spotted some scented candles. When she'd been younger, before she went to Hogwarts, her mother had often burned scented candles in the kitchen while Hermione studied. Seeing them on the shelf she hadn't been able to resist picking them up and sniffing the different flavoured scents. She settled on Lilac and bought three to bun in her room to study with in the hopes that the small act would help her keep her mother close to her heart.

Hermione almost had a bounce in her step as she made her way back to The Leaky Cauldron. Albus Dumbledore was still sitting at the table in the pub, where he looked to be speaking to several gentlemen. He smiled when he saw she had returned.

"Hermione." He called, waving her over to them. "This is the remarkable young lady I've been telling you about. Gentlemen, this is my goddaughter, Hermione Peverell."

Hermione smiled politely as she shook hands with each of the men.

"We'd best be getting back. Wouldn't want to miss dinner now would we Hermione?" Albus said with a wink as the gentlemen began to disperse, bidding them both good day.

"Did you get everything you needed my dear?"

"Yes, thank you." Hermione said, smiling at her professor.

Albus led her around the corner of the bar and held out his hand to her. Hermione smiled as she took it before the nausea rolled through her stomach as they Apparated to the gates of Hogwarts. Hermione smiled at the professor as they made their way into the grounds and up to the castle.

"Now my dear, I'm sure you know the way to Gryffindor tower. The password is 'Gilly weed'. When you get there, go up the stairs that lead to the girls dormitories. Go all the way to the top and you will come to a large red door with a brass door knob. You will need to unlock it with this key" Dumbledore said handing her an old fashioned brass key "inside you will find your suite. I hope it is to your liking. I think it would be best if you changed out of those pants, as they look quite different to the ones the other students wear and you will be causing quite a stir as it is. I will explain to the rest of the teachers within Hogwarts the story we have invented, about you being my goddaughter. At dinner in the Great Hall I will make an announcement that you have transferred here from Beauxbatons and have been sorted into Gryffindor. This is a copy of your class schedule as per the subjects you listed earlier. If you need to find me at any stage, my office is located on behind the statue of a Hippogriff. The password is Candyfloss."

"Thank you again. For everything. I couldn't think of who else to go to." Hermione said softly.

"My dear, I am honoured that you hold me in such high regard that upon arriving in an unfamiliar time I am the person you were most insistent on seeing and the person you trusted most."

With that Dumbledore pressed a soft kiss to the back of Hermione's hand, smiled gently and walked away.

Hermione felt odd walking the halls of Hogwarts twenty years before she was used to. The castle was almost exactly the same. The staircases still shifted restlessly, though when she whispered to them that she needed an easy path to Gryffindor Tower they most obligingly shifted to provide her with an almost straight path to the top.

Hermione smiled at the picture of the Fat lady that guarded the portrait hole. "Gilly Weed." Hermione told her when the portrait eyeballed her suspiciously. There were several people in the common room, but being that Hermione knew no one, she walked with her head down until she got to the stairs, lugging along all of her bags as well as Crookshanks in his cage.

"Hey Prongs. It's that girl!" Hermione heard a boy's voice shout. She paused with her foot on the step and turned around to see who had spoken. A sandy haired lanky boy with a scar down the left side of his face was watching her from the couches by the fire. Hermione recognised his eyes though. Those were the eyes of Remus Lupin. Even at sixteen he looked just a little bit shabby. No doubt due to the werewolf curse.

"Her name is Hermione!" a voice said from off to her left. Hermione spun towards that cocky voice and almost came nose to nose with the seventeen year old version Sirius Black. She gasped at his close proximity and clear disregard for personal boundaries when she found him close enough that she could count the freckles on his nose.

"Hello again." Sirius said, grinning at her. Hermione watched him warily for a moment.

"Hello… Sirius was it?" she asked him, playing dumb.

"You don't have to pretend that you've forgotten love. It's ok to remember the name of the man who saves you life." He told her boldly, a cheeky smile on his face and a sly sparkle in his blue eyes.

"Yes well. You didn't exactly save my life, but nonetheless thank you for your assistance earlier." Hermione said politely.

"What are you doing in Gryffindor Tower?" he asked her.

"Erm... I live here now." She replied.

"But we don't even know who you are or where you came from. How can you suddenly live here?" James Potter interrupted the staring match that had begun between Hermione and Sirius.

"Oh, my apologies. My name is Hermione, as Sirius here seemed to have no trouble remembering. Hermione Peverell." She said, shifting the bags she carried so she could hold out a hand towards James.

"James Potter." He said, shaking her hand firmly.

"You already know my name love. But I'm Sirius Black. Pleased to make you acquaintance." Sirius said. When Hermione held her hand out for him to shake he turned it in his palm before pressing a kiss to the back of it.

"Remus, get over here and meet the new girl." James said.

Remus moved towards them, he blushed slightly.

"I'm Remus Lupin." He told her softly. Hermione smiled at him warmly as she shook his hand.

"We'd offer to help you with your things, but we can't go up those stairs." Remus told her politely. Hermione nodded.

"Well it's been very nice to meet all of you, but I need to put these bags down before my arms drop off. And I should get settled in." She said.

"Well try not to take too long Hermione Peverell. I want to know more about you. We'll wait here for you to come back." Sirius told her, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief.

"That's very kind of you." Hermione said before she turned away and walked up the steps.

When she entered the room set aside for her Hermione sighed with pleasure. There was a large four poster bed off to one side, as well as a sizeable desk where she could study. A bookcase stood against one wall, filled with textbooks all about magic. A trunk sat open at the end of her bed, and a Gryffindor uniform was laid out on the familiar red bed spread. There was a closet for her to hang her clothes in, and a fireplace with a comfortable looking armchair where she could sit by the fire and read.

Hermione had never had such a nice bedroom. If she had to be stuck here, at least the castle had provided her with a beautiful living space.

"Oh Thank you so much." She said to the room gratefully. In response the fire crackled loudly as the flames flared a little. Hermione smiled. The castle had always been conscious of its inhabitants, however unless one read _Hogwarts: A History_, many had no idea just how much magic the castle had absorbed and how that had given it a life of its own. While the Room of Requirement was the one most accommodating and responsive, the rest of the castle was able to understand the needs of its inhabitants. It was why the Staircases listened and sometimes cooperated when requested, and why the room responded to her thanks.

"Crookshanks, my darling boy, welcome home." She said to the kitten as he stretched in his cage. "This is home now ok. So I'm going to let you out so you can explore." When she opened the cage Crookshanks stalked out and streaked towards her bed, leaping onto it before proceeding to curl up on the end and going to sleep.

Hermione laughed at the kitten before pulling out her wand and flicking it at the bags of supplies she had placed on the floor. Everything in the bag scattered, unpacking itself and settling into its place within her room. Her clothes folded themselves neatly into her trunk or hung themselves up in the cupboard, her books stacked up neatly on her desk and her quills and parchment and ink nestled into her new school bag.

When everything was settled Hermione smiled warmly at her wand. It felt so comfortable in her grip and was so responsive that she was dying to try it out on some more advanced spells. But that would have to wait.

Right now she needed to change out her jeans, despite how comfortable and familiar they were. Hermione sighed as she folded them up in her trunk before pulling on the high waisted, massively flared cream cotton pants she had purchased. Glancing in the mirror Hermione judged her appearance as the people she would meet today would.

Her light brown hair hung in neat waves down her back and her eyes looked bright in spite of the mentally exhausting day she'd had. The knitted jumper she wore was blue. It had a hood and a pocket on the front over her stomach. Her cream pants complimented her petite figure, hugging close around her thighs before flaring widely at her knees. On her feet she wore ballet flats. They were black with a bow over the toes.

Well, she looked decent enough she supposed.

Sliding her wand into her jumper pocket, Hermione took a deep breath. She felt a little better now that she had officially met the Marauders, at least she knew some people here. But she would need to make some friends if she ever hoped to survive without Harry and Ron. Merlin she missed them both. Even though Ron had been such an awful toe rag lately. Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat. She wouldn't think about her friends now. She would save that for later when she could cry about it in privacy.

Squaring her shoulders Hermione strode out of her suite and down the steps of the girls dormitory. She couldn't help but grin when she reached the bottom. Remus Lupin sat in an armchair with a book, his long legs stretched out in front of him and feet crossed at the ankles reading contentedly. James Potter was sprawled on his stomach in front of the fire. He also had a book but Hermione noticed that when she glanced at it, it was a Quidditch book rather than a school text. She almost snorted when she saw Sirius. He was stretched out on his back on the couch by the fire. One arm was slung over his eyes and the other toyed with his wand. His feet hung off the arm of the couch and one of them bopped along to some internal rhythm.

They all wore jeans and different coloured t-shirts. Remus wore red; James Blue and Sirius wore a black one beneath a leather jacket. Hermione noticed again that they were all incredibly handsome.

"Do you mind if I join you?" she asked softly of the three of them. James glanced up at her and smiled when he realised who she was, Remus almost dropped his book clearly startled and Sirius leapt to his feet with such speed that Hermione flinched.

He looked her up and down approvingly and Hermione couldn't quite stop the funny feeling in her chest to know that he clearly liked what he saw. Then he grinned at her wickedly and Hermione had no doubt that his wicked, charming grin had broken more than a few hearts.

"Not at all. Have a seat." Sirius offered her, indicating to one of the cushions he had just vacated.

"Thank you. I didn't want to bother you, but I don't know anyone else." Hermione said, smiling gratefully as she sat down. Sirius sank onto the cushion beside her and she noticed the way he shuffled closer to her until he was in her personal space again.

"Did I hear you say earlier that you live here now?" Sirius asked her curiously. Hermione tried to hide her smile at his eagerness. He was just like an excitable puppy. He was practically bouncing in his seat.

"I did say that, yes. Albus thought it would be for the best." Hermione told them.

"Well how old are you, what year are you in? Where did you come from?" Sirius asked her.

"I'm seventeen and in the sixth year of my studies. I came from France, until today I was a student at Beauxbatons Academy."

"Sixth year, excellent. You'll be in all our classes then." Sirius said with a wolfish smile. Hermione watched him. He was strangely charismatic when he was so happy and excited.

"So why are you here then? I didn't think transferring was allowed." Remus asked conversationally.

"Generally it's not. Extenuating circumstances mean that I must now attend Hogwarts instead."

"But you just arrived with a crack onto the Quidditch pitch today?" James interrupted.

"Yes, well about that. You see, Albus is my godfather. What happened today means only one thing. My mother are dead." Hermione murmured. As she said the word 'mother' it suddenly dawned on her that for all that she was missing her friends, she would never see her Mum and Dad again. Hermione felt herself gasping for air as the real shock of what had happened to her life whacked her over the head with more force than the Whomping Willow.

As the panic and pain set in Hermione felt like her whole world was exploding.

At least until strong male arms wrapped around her and pulled her tight against a muscled chest, half dragging her onto the lap of Sirius Black. She was hyperventilating. But Hermione refused to cry.

"Shh. It's all going to be ok. Shh." Sirius whispered into her ear as they he had known her for years and knew just how to comfort her. He was strangely intuitive. Even as his strong arms held her tight, holding her together, his warm hand patted at her gently in a way that felt strangely comforting.

"I'm sorry for your loss Hermione." James said softly from somewhere close to her. She couldn't see him, her head was buried against Sirius's neck, but when a warm hand patted her awkwardly on the back she suspected James was behind it.

"Don't worry Hermione" Remus murmured softly, "You'll fit right in with us."

Hermione felt comforting warmth spread through her at his words. Her friendship with Harry and Ron had always been peculiar. Ron had always been an argumentative but relatively loyal friend, until this year when they' had such a falling out, and Harry had always been like a brother to her. He'd even let her cry on him when Ron had kissed Lavender Brown and told her everything would be alright. She had known they were both there for her, though she also knew that if it really came down to it Harry would probably choose Ron over her.

The strange acceptance the Marauders offered her in Remus's words made her feel like she was home, like Harry and Ron were right here with her. And like maybe she would be ok being stuck in this time as long as she could be friends with these three boys.

"Oh honestly Black! Do you have to constantly molest women in our common room? It's repulsive!" an extremely catty female voice cut through the common room loudly, disturbing Hermione's train of thought and causing Sirius to jump minutely.

"Go lick Bubotuber Pus, Evans." Sirius said to her nastily, without releasing the tight grip he had on Hermione. Hermione was grateful that he didn't because it felt like he was the only thing keeping her from coming apart at the seams.

"Evans don't be rude. Hermione's upset and we are the only friends she has. Try for a little compassion." James said.

"What did you say to me, Potter?" Lily Evans demanded.

"I said you're being an insensitive snot Evans." James told her impatiently.

Hermione almost sniggered to hear him be so rude to Lily. Taking a deep breath Hermione forced her panic back down and locked it tightly in place. Pulling back from Sirius, Hermione realised that he smelled like diesel and leather and freshly cut grass. The combination was nice and made her nose tingle a little bit as she took a deep breath in through her nose.

"Excuse me?" Lily demanded angrily. Hermione and Sirius both ignored her

When Hermione pulled away from Sirius and moved off his lap she gave him a watery, grateful smile. He was still watching her closely, as though expecting her to fall apart at any moment, but he gave her a very cute reassuring smile.

"Thank you. It's sweet of you to comfort me when you don't even know me." Hermione said to him softly. Sirius's blue eyes watched her seriously for a moment before he squeezed her hand gently.

"Honestly Evans, are you going deaf? How many times, in how many different ways do I have to tell you that you're being a bitch? This comes as no surprise to anyone of course, but make sure you get your facts straight before you accuse Sirius of being a tart when he is actually being friendly." James said hotly. Defending his best friend and insulting Lily in the process.

Hermione did giggle this time. She had always imagined, based on stories that she'd heard of Lily and James, that he had been smitten with her and she had detested him until seventh year. But as James argued with her now it seemed like he had gotten over his infatuation and was now highly impatient of her.

"Yeah Evans. I'm not that sort of bloke. Hermione here just needed a little help holding herself together and I happened to oblige her. So sod off!" Sirius interrupted the arguing pair.

"Who in Merlin's name is Hermione?" Lily demanded.

"That would be me." Hermione said a little sharply. Lily seemed all around rude so far and Hermione could not stand rudeness unless it came from Ron. Hermione got to her feet and stared at Lily Evans. Her long red hair was pulled into a pony tail and her green almond shaped eyes were narrowed in on Hermione.

"I'm Hermione Peverell." Hermione said coldly "And I don't take kindly to being accused of engaging in untoward activities with boys I've just met."

Lily's mouth hung open for a moment while Sirius sniggered behind her. He seemed to enjoy the snappish way Hermione addressed Lily.

"Well then I apologise for wrongly accusing you. I merely assume that every time I see a girl on Black's lap that he is being untoward as he is a complete dog. I'm Lily Evans." Lily said. Hermione could tell from the tone of her voice though that Lily was less than pleased at being addressed by a complete stranger so coldly. She held her hand out stiffly for Hermione to shake, which Hermione did forcefully.

"I don't recall seeing you around school before. Do you even go to Hogwarts?" Lily asked waspishly, her gaze flickering from Hermione, to James, Sirius and Remus and back again.

"Until today I didn't. I attended Beauxbatons, but I live here now. In fact I imagine I'll be in all of your classes for the next two years. Won't that just be delightful" Hermione said sarcastically, sitting back down on the cushion next to Sirius.

Sirius, James and Remus all sniggered at the affronted expression on Lily's face and at Hermione's clearly disparaging tone.

"I like this girl James. We should be friends with her. She's feisty enough to take Evans on." Sirius said gleefully.


	3. Sweet Scents of Affection

**Them Boys**

Chapter 3: Sweet Scents of Attraction.

"Peverell, over here!" Hermione glanced around when she heard someone using her new last name. It had been almost a week since she'd landed in 1976 and she was finally beginning to settle into life here. She'd made fast friends with the Marauders who seemed to think it was their responsibility to look after her because they had originally found her. Not to mention that Sirius was particularly fond of the feistiness Hermione had shown when first confronted by Lily Evans. Though Lily was beginning to warm up to Hermione, she was still slightly frosty and often threw suspicious glances towards Hermione when she laughed at the jokes of the Marauders or participated in their lively conversation. Which was practically all the time.

Hermione smiled when she saw Remus Lupin waving at her from a potions bench in the corner. Remus, James and Sirius were all gathered there, and they had saved her a spot on their bench. Hermione couldn't help the little surge of happiness she felt when she realised that they actually liked her enough to save her a spot at their table. Although thinking about it Hermione supposed that maybe they didn't really need to save her a seat, most people tended to avoid their table because of how close knit the three boys were in their friendship. Not to mention that many were afraid to get too close to the Marauders because they didn't want to become the victim of their latest prank.

Moving quickly through the gloom of the dungeon Hermione reached the table where the boys were and sat in the last stool.

"How's it going Hermione?" James asked her, grinning at her across the table. Hermione was less than surprised that she had made friends so easily with the Marauders, after all she'd spent her entire life at Hogwarts with only two boys as her best friends and one of the happened to be James's son. And boys required far less reassurance and analysis than girls did.

"Not too bad. I overslept. I hate having to rush all the way to the dungeons for potions first thing in the morning." Hermione said around a yawn. It was Friday morning and it was first period of the day. In the dungeons. She really had overslept too, so she had scarfed down some breakfast before sprinting to class. Her hair was probably a mess and she was almost certain that he skirt was crooked. Dumping her stuff on the floor at her feet, Hermione pulled her hair into a messy bun on top of her head and rolled up her sleeves, trying to gain some semblance of control over her appearance, since she clearly had very little over her new life.

Sirius Black sat watching her from across the table with a wicked smirk on his face. He was by far the most charming and most handsome of the Marauders, though James came a close second. Remus was quieter, a little more reserved, though he too was very handsome.

Sirius seemed to enjoy watching her too; she'd caught him doing it several times this past week. What was most unnerving though, was that he didn't seem to care at all when she caught him at it, he'd just wink at her and start flirting wildly with her. Hermione found it all a little bit unnerving; her friendship with boys hadn't really prepared her for the constant attention of young men. Ron had always been thick and barely noticed she was a girl at all, and Harry thought of her as a sister and so never flirted with her.

Something that had been puzzling Hermione was the absence of Peter Pettigrew. She hadn't seen him once all week. She had understood in her original time that Pettigrew had been close friends with the Marauders all through Hogwarts and Hero-worshipped James and Sirius especially. Yet in the entire week that she had been here she hadn't seen him at all, and Sirius, James and Remus hadn't mentioned him either. He must exist though, because Albus had known who she meant when she spoke of him about Crookshanks who was likely to attack him on sight.

"Alright class" came the voice of Professor Slughorn. Hermione smiled at the sound of his voice, at least this year she still had some of the professors she had had in her own time. It made adjusting a little bit easier, as did having friends, especially one who looked so much like Harry. "Today we are going to try brewing some Amortentia. Who knows what that is?"

Hermione threw her hand in the air, as did Lily Evans, Remus Lupin and a greasy haired Slytherin student. With a start Hermione realised that the third person was Severus Snape.

"A few of you eh? Well now that just won't do. You, Miss Peverell, what is Amortentia?" Slughorn asked, pointing at Hermione.

"Amortentia is the most powerful love potion in the world. However it only creates a powerful infatuation or obsession in the drinker, not actual love. As of yet there is no magic that can induce unwavering, unbreakable and truly eternal unconditional attachment that alone can be called love. It's rumoured to smell different to each person, according to what attracts them, even if that person is themself unaware of their fondness for the object of their affection. " Hermione answered, making sure not to mention the smells that attracted her as she had done the first time Slughorn asked her.

Namely because the scents that attracted Hermione had changed some from the first time around. She no longer smelled Spearmint toothpaste and new parchment. Though she did still smell the scent of freshly mown grass.

"Very good, ten points to Gryffindor." Slughorn went into a spiel about love potions while Hermione twirled her wand in her hand, trying not to notice the way Sirius Black was watching her with a truly devious expression on his face. Hermione wondered what scents the boys could smell wafting off the cauldron full of Amortentia.

"What do you smell?" Hermione asked, leaning close to Remus to whisper into his ear. He turned towards Hermione with a wide smile, his golden brown eyes glowing warmly.

"Now what would possess me to tell you what I can smell Hermione?" Remus asked her teasingly. Hermione grinned.

"Well maybe I can find out who it is that you're nose is telling you you're attracted to and we can get you a lovely date for the Hogsmede trip next week." Hermione said, feigning innocence in spite of the devious smirk on her face.

"I promise I won't tell a soul if she is younger than us Remus." Hermione whispered to him when he looked doubtful, before fixing him an imploring look.

"You have the most persuasive facial expressions of anyone I've ever met Peverell." Remus said grudgingly. "Fine, I can smell fresh strawberries, powdered sugar, and Moonflower." Remus told her in a whisper.

Hermione smiled. Moonflower scent was no surprise; after all, both the flowers and the werewolf within Remus bloomed beneath the light of the full moon. Hermione smiled as she watched Remus take another deep breath in through his nose. She supposed she should be worried, the moonflower had many uses in the wizarding world, but it was best known its hallucinogenic nature, which could often have fatal side effects.

"What about you Peverell? What do you smell?" James asked her softly from across the table.

"You first James." Hermione told her, smiling enigmatically as she kept her secret.

"We already know what James smells." Sirius interrupted, "To him it smells like Evans."

"Hmm" James hummed appreciatively "Vanilla and treacle and Violets." James whispered softly, his eyes were closed and he looked to be in ecstasy as he breathed in deep. Hermione couldn't help but snigger softly. It seemed that in spite of his nastiness to her over the weekend, James was still completely smitten with Lily Evans. She might just have to see what she could do about getting the two of them together.

"Some things never change." Remus muttered with a patronising look at his bespectacled friend.

"You know what I'm curious about though?" Remus began suddenly "What do you smell Padfoot? The object of your affections changes from day to day."

Hermione snorted at the affronted expression Sirius wore at the insinuation that he was a slight player.

"Actually I was wondering about that myself..." Sirius murmured, his eyes losing focus as he sniffed the air. "It's not the scent I've smelled on any of my victims..." he murmured causing James to snort loudly in amusement. Sirius sniffed again.

"I can smell rosewater... and lilacs... and wildflowers... and warm apple pie." Sirius said, clearly catching a different scent with every sniff of the air.

Hermione stared at him in shock. She used rosewater on her skin, and lilac scented candles in her room while she studied. And her favourite desert was freshly baked apple pie. The perfume she had bought in London last week was scented like wildflowers

What did this mean? Surely it couldn't be that Sirius Black subconsciously felt affection for her. Wouldn't that be weird and even awkward? She'd known him in her own time. She'd seen him die for Merlin's Sake!

Hermione was startled out of her reverie as the instruction came to begin trying to brew a love potion. Attempting to put her confusion out of her mind and obliviously ignoring the boys when they asked her what she smelled, Hermione wandered over to the ingredients closet and gathered her supplies.

Or at least she had intended to gather her supplies. Only she was interrupted when a very tall, unhealthily thin boy with a hooked nose shoved past her and almost knocked her over, causing her to stumble into the wall.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Hermione scolded. Until she realised she was alone in the supply cupboard with the teenage version of Severus Snape. This could potentially be very bad. Hermione remembered Harry telling her that in fifth year Snape had called Lily a Mudblood, at which time Lily abandoned all friendship with him.

Snape spun towards her, his lip curling in the sneer she had come to know so well when he had been her potions professor.

"You would think that such a clever Gryffindor like yourself would know better than to come in here with me." Snape's voice hissed in the semi darkness. Hermione shivered with revulsion. Merlin he had always been creepy. The creepy hissing voice hadn't changed a bit over the years. It was the same one she remembered hissing at her out of the darkness of the Potions rooms when he had been her potions professor rather than her class mate.

"I wasn't aware there was anything particularly threatening about you." Hermione countered. "As far as I was aware you were just another student here. Just because you're a Slytherin doesn't give you the right to be rude and mean. I've never done anything to warrant such inconsiderate treatment from you. "

Snape opened his mouth, his sneer deepening, clearly intending to spout something about her befriending the Marauders and them treating him so inconsiderately when he had never really done anything that she was aware of to warrant their bullying either. Hermione suspected that it had stemmed from Snape being a little bit weird when he was young, combined with the jealousy James probably felt of Snape's friendship with Lily Evans.

"You would think that a hook nosed git like Snivellus would know better than trying to threaten our friend wouldn't you James?" Sirius's voice interrupted.

"You would think so Sirius, but maybe all the grease in his hair clogged up his brain." James said. "Or perhaps he's just always been stupid. I've always suspected so."

Hermione turned to find James and Sirius standing behind her. Or at least they were, until Sirius moved to stand in front of Hermione protectively. Clearly he thought she needed his protection and to be treated like she was inferior just because she was a girl. Hermione rolled her eyes, apparently the thick-headedness Harry and Ron had so often expressed concerning Hermione's supposed inferiority was linked to the Y chromosome.

"You would think that you two bones heads know better than to treat me like a helpless female." Hermione said softly. "I am more than capable of holding a civil conversation with a classmate. Even one with limited manners."

"Stay out of this one 'Mione, this git is not someone you want creeping around." Sirius told her. James and Sirius had moved to stand so that Snape had no escape without trying to push past the two of them, and he was significantly less built than both of them.

Hermione poked Sirius sharply in the back.

"What was that for?" Sirius demanded when he spun to face her.

"Being a git." Hermione told him. "Now the two of you stop being complete prats and let him out. Don't you dare trip him or jinx him as he goes on his way either!"

"I don't need your help." Snape snapped at her.

"Yes, I'm sure you would have noticed their feet stuck out to trip you and not have fallen on you face as you leave if I hadn't mentioned it." Hermione said sarcastically before dismissing him as she pushed past Sirius and began searching the shelves for her ingredients.

"I don't want your help!" Snape snarled at her turned back. Again. Clearly he was not taking the out she had given him.

"Oh yes Snape. I'm sure you are more than capable of dealing with these two, when they clearly feel you have made some social faux pas concerning the etiquette of speaking to a person they consider a friend, as I can see they clearly don't consider you one. I, on the other hand happen to operate outside the realm of raging testosterone and don't feel the need to have your face hexed off just because you clearly have no manners. I would recommend you take my graciousness at face value and accept the help I have provided you today. It's not often that I will act as the buffer between idiots when one of them is egregiously rude and needlessly aggressive towards a stranger." Hermione said coldly. "Now if you have all of the ingredients that you need to brew your potion, then I recommend you be on your way, preferably having learned that it's not acceptable to be rude to someone who could potentially have become a friend."

"You're lucky Hermione is here Snivellus." Sirius murmured threateningly as Snape exited the cupboard. "Otherwise we might have found out what sort of awful underwear you've invested in this year."

"What did you do that for?" Sirius demanded angrily of Hermione once Snape was gone. Hermione glanced over her shoulder to see Sirius looking indignant and James standing with his arms folded over his chest looking irritated.

"Because it's rude to pick on him for his appearance and he's got enough problems without you two tripping him over or jinxing him or being nasty." Hermione told them. "Your treatment of him is childish and cruel."

"But..." Sirius began.

"Sirius Black I would not recommend that you push this issue with me. If he starts on you first then it is well and good to defend yourself. But if I hear about you picking on that boy and being needlessly cruel and unkind to him, especially about his appearance, I swear to Merlin I will curse the nose off your face!" Hermione told him sternly.

James started to snigger at Sirius being told what to do. And probably at the way Sirius's mouth gaped open like a fish out of water in shock at her admonishing him.

"That goes for you too James Potter." She said drolly.

"Peverell you can't just come bursting in here and laying down rules for us to follow. We're not your little pets or your puppets. We're the only friends you've got and if you keep treating us like beasts you can order around, well then you might just find yourself friendless." Sirius threatened hotly.

"Yes because Merlin forbid I ever know what it's like to lose friends." She said sarcastically. "I might end up sobbing in a toilet where I can come face to face with a mountain troll that wants to kill me and be in need of a pair of heroes."

James and Sirius stared at her for a moment in confusion.

"If I really am your friend, as you have just claimed, then you should understand my perspective. Your treatment of Severus Snape is not only cruel and unfair; it's completely un-Gryffindor-like. Such cruel treatment without provocation are traits that belong to the snakes. And frankly if you are both so immature that a childhood rivalry over Lily Evans allows you to treat another human being with such disrespect then I don't want to be your friend and will cease all contact with you." Hermione snapped at them.

Honestly!

For all that boys were far less complicated that girls as friends they could be ridiculously childish and immature and intensely thick headed. Gathering her ingredients in her arms, Hermione tossed her hair over her shoulder and stalked out of the cupboard with her nose in the air.

Meanwhile James and Sirius stood staring at each other in shock and confusion. Never had anyone been so... rude... to them.

When James and Sirius exited the cupboard they found Hermione chatting animatedly to Remus. Clearly Remus was completely unaware of the dressing down she had just given the both of them.

"You know Hermione; you didn't actually tell us what scents you can smell wafting off the potion." Remus said to her softly, noticing that his two best friends had exited the closet looking very much like contrite children.

Hermione smiled at Remus gently.

"Ah but how do you know that I don't already know who it is that smells like the scents I can smell coming off the potion?"

"Oh Come on Hermione, I told you what I could smell." Remus whined at her good naturedly.

Hermione glanced over her shoulder, noticing that Sirius and James were both still on the other side of the classroom.

"Yes you did." Hermione murmured, leaning closer to Remus "But I happen to know that if I tell you what I smell you will jump to conclusions, because I have no doubt that you can smell who it is that I happen to be able to smell." Hermione finished cryptically.

"What are you saying?" Remus asked her, just a little bit too sharply.

Hermione gazed at Remus for a few minutes more. The full moon was this Sunday evening. Hermione had no doubt that this afternoon he would receive a fake summons home to visit a dying relative. It was the best excuse to allow for Remus to be smuggled out of the grounds, and then back in again so that he could transform in the Shrieking Shack.

But given that she had only been here a week Hermione supposed it probably wouldn't do to tip Remus off that she somehow knew he was a werewolf already.

"Just that I'm sure the scents I would mention will be scents you are familiar with in association with a person within Hogwarts." Hermione said softly.

"A person within Hogwarts is it? Who might it be Hermione?" A deep voice murmured directly into her ear. Hermione jumped a foot in the air, uttering a soft shriek and spilling the contents of her phial of Sweet-bulb diffusion.

"Easy Peverell." Sirius murmured softly, his arm wrapping around her waist to steady her.

"Sirius Black the next time you sneak up on me like that I will elbow you in the ribs." Hermione scolded.

She wasn't really angry though. Hermione was just spooked by the fact that the feel of his lips so close to her skin and his warm breath on her skin when he murmured into her ear like that made her tummy do a somersault. And by the fact that when his arm lingered around her waist, she sort of melted backwards a little until her back pressed gently against Sirius's chest.

Perhaps it was just the headiness of the potion filling the air, or perhaps it was the effects of the spilled Sweet-bulb Diffusion on her hands, but Hermione felt like she could just lean here against his warm chest feeling dainty and enveloped by him quite happily for an indefinite time period.

"What can you smell Hermione?" Sirius whispered to her softly, his arms still around her.

"Diesel... and warm leather... and freshly mown grass ... and timber." Hermione murmured in response.

Then she had to bite her lip on a gasp as she realized she had actually answered him. And listed the scents that she had noticed he smelled like.

Bollocks!

Hermione cursed herself internally. It had to be the potion filling the room. Surely it had to be. Because it would be very wrong of her to develop a crush on Sirius Black. Wouldn't it?

She was startled out of her internal tirade when her tummy back flipped as Sirius's lips brushed against the sensitive shell of her ear as he breathed to her;

"'Mione... you smell like wildflowers."


	4. Crookshanks Knows Best

Chapter 4: Crookshanks Knows Best.

"Sirius Black, what do you think you are doing?" Professor McGonagall demanded angrily.

Hermione glanced across at Sirius to see him swinging on his chair so far back that he was in danger of having it topple over backwards. He was also casually flicking his wand at the rabbit on his desk and transfiguring it from a rabbit to an array of inanimate objects and back again with each lazy wave. He didn't even look to be paying attention to the animal he kept transfiguring. He looked like he was lost in thought or daydreaming even while he kept flicking his wand and swinging on his chair.

"Huh?" Sirius asked her, his eyes still not entirely focused despite the thin lipped professor glaring down at him formidably from in front of his desk.

"Mr. Black what do you think you're doing to this rabbit? I asked you to transfigure it into a watering can, not a wash basin." Professor McGonagall hissed at him.

Hermione almost giggled when Sirius didn't even lower all four legs of his chair back to the ground.

"Relax Minnie. I got bored with the watering can." Sirius told her with his most charming smirk as he flicked his wand at the rabbit and turned it into the watering can like he was supposed to.

Professor McGonagall scowled at him. "Stop swinging on your chair or you'll be on detention again Mr Black." She snapped at him before glancing at Hermione sitting next to Sirius. She had successfully transfigured the kitten on her desk into a cane basket and back again several times, but unlike Sirius, Hermione hadn't switched to transfiguring the poor thing into all kinds of objects. Instead she had taken to teasing it with a ribbon she had found in the pocket of her robes.

"Miss Peverell, these animals are not merely here for playing with." Professor McGonagall snapped at her, turning her irritation at Sirius on the rest of the class.

"Sorry professor. It's just that the poor kitten began to look rather befuddled after the fifth time I successfully transfigured it into a cane basket and back again. I thought I'd give him a break." Hermione said apologetically.

"You have also completed the spell successfully?" She demanded, sounding very irritated now.

"Yes Professor." Hermione replied, quickly transfiguring the kitten.

Professor McGonagall studied the cane basket in front of her for a moment.

"Very well, five points to Gryffindor for each of you. Clearly the two of you are far too clever for your own good. Get out of my sight, the homework this evening is to read the fifth chapter of your prescribed textbook. Now go. I won't have you disturbing the other students. Take Mr. Black with you." Professor McGonagall said sounding irritated but nonetheless impressed by their skill.

Sirius's chair legs hit the ground with a loud thud as he leapt to his feet beaming widely. He stood next to their desk with his bag slung over his shoulder smirking at the irritated expression of the other students while he waited for Hermione.

Hermione almost choked on her tongue when he held the door for her like a true gentleman as they exited the classroom.

"Gifted at Transfiguration eh Peverell?" Sirius asked her as they wandered off down the hallway together. Hermione glanced sideways to find him smirking at her wickedly. His long black hair hung around his shoulders, framing his handsome face nicely and Hermione couldn't help but smile at him.

"Not as gifted as you apparently." She told him, though she was referring to the fact that he was a seventeen year old animagus, rather than the fact the he had lazily been transfiguring things in the classroom.

"Don't be modest Peverell; even Evans doesn't get early marks from Minnie with me." He told her, still grinning.

"What are your plans for the weekend Sirius?" Hermione asked him as they climbed the stairs towards Gryffindor tower. Transfiguration had been their last class for the day, and the early mark was a nice bonus.

"Not really sure." Sirius said, frowning slightly and rubbing the back of his neck subconsciously. "I'm fairly certain that Remus is going home this afternoon or tomorrow. His grandmother isn't well. But James and I have the Quidditch match against Ravenclaw tomorrow morning. Will you come and watch us play?" he asked her, glancing sideways.

Hermione smiled at him. It seemed that after this morning, when she had admonished both James and Sirius they had forgiven her for being bossy, and they hadn't said anything nasty to Snape all day. Hermione had been trying not to think about the incident this morning in Potions. Mostly because every time she thought about how it felt to have Sirius's arms wrapped around her waist and him murmuring into her ear, her stomach began an exciting gymnastics routine that made her feel funny all over.

"Sure. I won't have anything better to do." Hermione told him as they entered the Common room. She watched Sirius as he sauntered over to the armchairs and flopped down into the one by the fire. He grinned at Hermione when she sat down opposite him.

"So about this morning..." Hermione began softly. Merlin he looked good when he smiled at her sweetly like that. "I'm sorry for ordering you and James around." She told him.

Sirius grinned at her.

"Don't worry about it 'Mione. You were right about some of it. The whole thing started in second year I think. James developed his crush on Evans and at the time Evans and Snivellus were best friends, despite being in different houses. I think it was just pure jealousy the first time we pranked him. James's idea of course. I thought it would be a one-time thing, but when Evans found out about it she went barmy at James. And what twelve year old doesn't make the connection that even negative attention is still attention. Every time we pranked Snivellus or jinxed him, Evans would lose her nut at James and me, and James loved the attention. It's a little pathetic at times how bad he has it for that little red-head." Sirius said.

"He does seem to have it bad for her." Hermione commented.

"Yeah, problem is, three years of intense hatred hasn't exactly inspired Evans to fall for him." Sirius told her.

"Oh I don't know. She hasn't yelled at him all week while I've been here."

Sirius laughed "Give it time."

"Actually..." Hermione began. Sirius glanced at her when he noted her serious tone "Well, I mean, maybe I was just being a little paranoid, but I've noticed that whenever I chat to James, Lily throws me these odd looks. Like maybe she's jealous or worried that he has stopped liking her or something."

Sirius sat up suddenly, focusing on her completely.

"You think she secretly likes him or at least his attention and thinks you're a threat?" Sirius asked her seriously.

"I think she might." Hermione told him. She was messing with fate and she knew it. But Merlin, Lily and James were destined to be together. If they needed a little shove to get together she was more than willing to push them.

"Peverell I think you might just be the best thing that happened to this school since I arrived." Sirius told her, winking at her. "I've got to tell James. If Evans might like him he will definitely ask her to Hogsmede next weekend." Sirius said. He even sounded genuinely excited for his friend and Hermione couldn't help smiling at him.

"Speaking of which..." Sirius said, looking her right in the eye. Hermione felt like a fox cornered by the hunting dogs, completely trapped in the deep blue of his eyes. "Has anyone asked you to go with them next weekend?" Sirius asked her.

Hermione watched him warily but shook her head.

Sirius smiled widely at her and Hermione watched his nostrils flare wide as he sniffed the air. She was only sitting a metre or so away from him and Hermione wondered if he could smell her wildflower perfume and rosewater scented skin.

"You know Peverell" he murmured softly leaning towards Hermione until he was on the edge of his seat and practically in her personal space again "This morning you were talking to Remus about knowing who it was that smelled like the scents you could smell coming off the potion. That it was someone from Hogwarts. Who have you been close enough to that you know what they smell like?" he asked her.

His voice was almost mesmerizing as he held her gaze and smiled at her so sweetly. Hermione could distantly hear her brain telling her that it wasn't right for her to develop a crush on Sirius Black. He was her best friend's godfather. He went to Azkaban. He was a complete dog concerning women, playing with their hearts to get them to do things with him that many of them no doubt regretted. His family was terrifyingly affiliated with Voldemort and his mother was completely insane.

Yet he was also incredibly handsome, and loyal and funny and charming and sweet. And his face was less than a foot from hers as he peered at her, trying to read her expression. Sweet Merlin help her, she, Hermione Granger/Peverell had a crush on Sirius Black.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She murmured coyly. Oh Merlin she was flirting with him. Sirius's wicked smirk told her that he knew it too.

"Yeah I would." He told her, moving even closer to her. Hermione could smell his sweet scent, leather and diesel and mown grass and freshly cut timber. Merlin he smelled good.

"Why would I tell you Sirius?" She murmured softly.

"Why wouldn't you?" he countered, smiling enigmatically.

"You'll tell everyone." She whispered softly.

"I can keep a secret 'Mione. Better than anyone." He told her he kept moving closer to her. His face was less than three inches from hers now. Hermione could count the freckles on his nose. He had seven.

Hermione scoffed at him. "Yeah, I'm sure Tina Feldman thinks so." Hermione murmured. Apparently Tina was the last girl Sirius had charmed out of her robes, and he'd told James and Remus all about it.

"I only brag to James and Remus and Peter." He countered.

"I'm not telling you Sirius. I know you. You'll never stop laughing at me and taking the mickey." Hermione said, smiling at him.

"Oh come one 'Mione. I promise I wouldn't tell a soul." He said, smiling imploringly. He was really cute when he smiled like that. "And if you don't tell me then I'm going to tell everyone you've got a crush on Snivellus." Sirius told her, smiling triumphantly.

Hermione narrowed her eyes on him.

"You wouldn't dare!" she said darkly.

"Try me, love" he said wickedly. He knew he'd won. Nasty blackmailer.

"You are the worst Sirius Black." She growled at him softly.

"I know love, but people like me this way."

"What are you two discussing with such intensity?" Remus's voice interrupted them. Hermione jumped a foot in the air and leaned back from Sirius. Merlin she had been staring at his lips and everything. Hermione realised something terrible. She had wanted to kiss Sirius just now.

"'Mione was just about to tell me who she's been close enough to in Hogwarts that she knows it was their scent she smelled this morning in the dungeons." Sirius told Remus and James. In spite of Hermione having moved back, he was still leaning towards her and still wore that wicked grin, he was still invading her personal space too.

"Who've you got the hots for then Peverell?" James asked her as he plopped down into the vacant seat next to her on the couch and slung an arm around her shoulders. Hermione smiled. James smelled like soap and earth and chocolate.

And as he slung his arm around her, Hermione watched Lily Evans walk into the Common room. Her eyes narrowed to slits when she saw James's arm around Hermione. Sirius was still inches away from her face and Remus had taken a seat on the arm of Sirius's armchair and was also leaning in to catch Hermione's answer.

"Lily..."Hermione murmured, her eyes searching the face of the angry looking red head.

"Whoa up there, Peverell." James said sternly "First of all Lily doesn't smell like any of the things you mentioned this morning and..." James must have realised Hermione wasn't listening, because he broke off and followed her gaze to where Lily was stalking slowly towards the stairs, her green eyes angry slits, fixed on James's arm around Hermione.

"Evans!" James practically yelped with excitement when he saw her and his arm slid off Hermione's shoulders as he leapt to his feet while his hand jumped to his messy black hair. Hermione couldn't help smirking when he ruffled his hair up. Of course smirking wasn't the best idea because Lily was practically snarling and no doubt thought Hermione was gloating.

"Hey Evans. You want to come to Hogsmede with me next weekend?" James asked her. Sirius snickered when he saw Hermione roll her eyes at his excitement.

"Potter, in what universe would I ever agree to go on a date with you?" Lily snapped nastily before flicking her hair and turning up her nose, completely ignoring James.

"I'm hoping this one." James murmured as he sat back down while Lily stormed off up the steps to the girls' dormitory.

"Probably not the best time to ask her mate." Sirius told him. Hermione glanced at James and saw that he looked rather crestfallen. The poor bloke really had it bad for her. "There's no way she'll agree when she sees you with your arm around another girl two seconds before you ask her. She's far too jealous." Sirius said wiggling his eyebrows.

"What do you mean she's jealous?" James asked looking bewildered.

"Oh mate, don't be thick. As far as Evans is concerned, you're hers. You've liked her forever and while she may never admit it, she relies on you continuing to like her. If she thinks you are getting over her and falling for someone else she will be jealous." Sirius told James.

"What are you talking about?" James asked.

"'Mione you tell him." Sirius said, giving her an impatient and slightly befuddled expression.

Hermione sighed. "I hate getting tangled up in other peoples relationships. But I've noticed whenever I talk to James or laugh with James, that Lily gives me these odd looks, like she is trying to work out if I'm trying to steal your affections. She's jealous of me because she thinks you might start to like me more than her." Hermione told the trio of boys

"So I had an idea Prongs." Sirius said excitedly "If you pretend to stop fancying her, and stop asking her out and focus on someone else for a while, she'll get jealous and miss the attention you've always given her and will eventually fall for you."

Hermione stared at Sirius for several minutes. It was the same idea that Hermione had come up with for Ginny when she wanted Harry to like her.

"But then she'll think I don't like her." James said, clearly confused "And I do like her."

"Yes but if she doesn't have to earn your affection, she doesn't want it. You need to make her work for it and make her think that you're worth fighting for, and worth liking. The best way to do that is to pretend you've forgotten about her and make her jealous. Although, I'm having no part of it. I'm sure she already dislikes me enough as it is." Hermione said.

"She's probably right James." Remus said softly.

"Anyway, while you guys discuss who James can fixate on, I'm going to shower before dinner." Hermione told them, grabbing her bag and getting to her feet. She was almost at the steps when Sirius called out to her.

"Peverell don't think for a second that this gets you out of telling us who you're keen on."

Hermione grinned deviously and waved at them before disappearing up the stairs.

As soon as she got to her suite Hermione sighed wearily. Foolishly she had assumed that being in this time and being friends with the Marauders, rather than in her own and constantly needing to help Harry in his quest to defeat You-Know-Who, that her life would be less complicated. That when she didn't have to tolerate watching the sickening displays of affection between Ron and his tart, she would be able to enjoy an uncomplicated, easy lifestyle where her biggest problems would be making sure her grades were perfect and that she had friends to talk to.

Instead, her life was almost as complicated as it had been in her own time. She had developed a crush on one of her friends, sadly the one most likely to obliviously crush her heart. Harry's future mother was convinced that Hermione was trying to steal James away and subconsciously jealous, limiting her friendship with other girls even further as Lily was popular among the sixth year girls. Hermione also knew spells from her own time that had yet to be discovered and therefore shouldn't use in public. Her guardian was her Hogwarts Headmaster, masquerading to be her doting godfather. She had to remember constantly that her name was no longer Hermione Granger. She had even spent this week researching the Peverell family so that she could be sure to explain her fake lineage should anyone, namely James, ever ask her.

Hermione had discovered in her research that James Potter was a direct descendant of Ingnotus Peverell, and therefore her fake extreme distant cousin removed who knew how many times. Luckily James hadn't thought to ask her if they were related, but she had read over her lineage carefully so she could spout the information back at him if need be.

Hermione dumped her bag on the floor by her trunk before flopping back onto her bed in exhaustion. Today had tried her. It was mentally draining to argue with one's self in one's own mind all day. And all day differing parts of her mind had been arguing with her, about Sirius Black of all things. On the one hand she realised based on the scents of the potion and the strange tingling feeling she got when he touched her that she seemed to have developed a crush on him. Hermione had accepted it that she clearly had to have developed one.

Her mind had been arguing that she was an idiot for having done so and continued to present all sorts of reasons why it was unacceptable for her to have developed such a schoolgirl type crush on a bad boy. And he was a bad boy. Just this week James and Sirius had both been given detention on two separate occasions. The first time they had managed to transfigure all of the cushions being used in DADA that were flying at the Slytherins into hedgehogs with cushion feet. They had then proceeded to magically hurl these hedgehogs at the Slytherins until one of them had embedded itself into Severus Snape's forearm.

The second occasion had been the same day, when the Slytherin students attempted to exact revenge by staring a duel with the Marauders. Hermione had been rather appalled by their behaviour. Even Remus, who was a prefect, had joined in as they hurled jinxes and hexes back and forth. Remus had ended up covered in blue slime. James had been hit by the same Jinx Hermione had once been on the receiving end of years before, causing his front teeth to rapidly enlarge. Sirius had ended up with singed hair, much to his horror and dismay. The Slytherins had the bad end of the deal. Teachers apparently found them all about a half hour later. The boys had hit them with body binding hexes, before inflicting them with a tickling jinx. And they did it in a deserted side corridor.

Hermione had of course wanted to report them, but she was no longer a prefect at Hogwarts, and she didn't exactly want to get her only friends in trouble by being a tattle-tale.

Lying there on her soft bed Hermione felt like just going to sleep. She was so tired from learning her new life, as well as all her homework this week and the mental argument about liking Sirius. She couldn't help smiling when a strange weight began to pad it's way over her shoulder and chest before turning in a circle and curling up to rest on her stomach.

"Hey there pretty boy." Hermione murmured to her orange kitten. Crookshanks began to purr and knead his front paws alternatively against her skin with unsheathed claws. It tickled, but Hermione felt comforted by his presence and the supportive way he got back up and padded over her until he could butt his head against her chin to make sure she was alright. Chuckling, Hermione stroked her adorable kitten thankfully. It felt nice to know she had Crookshanks. He was her only real link to her old life.

Sighing again Hermione lifted Crookshanks off her chest and sat him on the bed before getting up again. The best thing about her suite was that she had a bathroom attached to it, all to herself. She had never liked having to share a bathroom with the other girls in her dormitory during her own time. And here she had her bathroom all to herself. It was a really nice one too. She had her own toilet, as well as a shower and a bath.

Quickly undressing, Hermione climbed into the shower and tipped her head back happily as the warm water washed over her, washing away the stress and tension that had built in her muscles during the day. Hermione opened her eyes when she heard a sound from within the bathroom. She never bothered to close the bathroom door because the door to her suite was securely locked and even magic wouldn't unlock it. Hermione smiled in relief when she saw it was only Crookshanks sitting on the tiles cleaning his face with his paw.

Washing herself quickly Hermione climbed out and towelled herself dry, wrapping her wet hair in a separate towel. When she went to her trunk Hermione bit her lip for a moment. All week she had been dying to put her jeans on but had refrained because she wanted to fit into this time better. But she couldn't resist now, not when she was only going to dinner and then spending the night studying. Smiling deviously Hermione pulled her jeans on before sighing happily at the familiar feel of the denim against her skin. Next she found a long sleeved woollen sweater to wear and unwound her wet hair from the towel. It was still fairly wet, and brushing it while it was wet was a nightmare of tangles. Instead she patted it into the style she wanted and left in hanging free down her back.

"Crookshanks darling, do you think that you know your home is here? I think it might be time for you to meet my friends. Come on baby." Hermione said to her kitten Crookshanks leapt to his feet and joined Hermione at the door before following her down the stairs to the common room. When Hermione got there she took a second to admire her friends. James and Remus were chatting about something, and Sirius wasn't there. Instead, a plump boy with sandy hair sat on the edge of his seat listening avidly to the conversation between James and Remus.

Peter Pettigrew. It had to be. They wouldn't tolerate anyone else.

Very slowly Hermione walked towards the boys, wondering where Sirius had gotten to. Crookshanks stayed close to her feet. She didn't have to wonder for long though, when she stopped again halfway towards them Sirius was right behind her. Hermione almost jumped when his dripping wet hair brushed her neck as he leaned in to whisper in her ear. She almost didn't hear his words as her stomach began double back-flipping.

"You know Peverell, now you smell like rosewater and wildflowers." He told her softly before taking a deep breath in through his nose. Hermione shivered at his closeness.

"And what was it you smelled this morning in potions?" she asked him softly, blushing slightly at the slight huskiness of her voice.

"Rosewater and wildflowers and lilac and warm apple pie." He murmured. Hermione shivered when Sirius's warm hand touched her hip where her sweater had ridden up slightly, exposing a strip of creamy skin between her top and her jeans. His hair was still dripping wet and the droplets of water were slowly running over her chest and disappearing beneath her shirt from where his hair touched her neck as he spoke directly into her ear.

"And what about you 'Mione? What was it that you smelled?" he whispered, making Hermione jump when his soft lips touched her ear. Hermione's tummy was going crazy with butterflies as they tried to get out. And she could hear her own pulse racing in her ears. She could even smell him as she opened her mouth to answer.

"Leather and diesel and freshly mown grass and cut timer." Hermione whispered back, turning her face closer to his where it hovered over her right shouldered.

"And who do you know that smells like those things Hermione?" he whispered into her ear, his warm breath tickling the sensitive shell. Merlin his deep voice was mesmerizing. "Who have you been close enough to that you know they smell like that?"

"Who's always close enough to me because they invade my personal space?" Hermione murmured back, trying to keep her secret. Sirius chuckled darkly before sniffing her hair and stepping back from her. Hermione almost pouted when his warm hand slid away from her exposed skin. She narrowed her eyes on him when he stepped around her and gave her a knowing smile. Hermione followed him as he walked over to the others, noticing the way the denim jeans he wore cupped his butt. They were black denim, and he wore a black leather jacket over a white muggle band T-shirt.

His long black hair was still dripping wet, even as he shook it like a dog all over the plump blonde boy. Crookshanks was still hovering at her ankles as she stepped closer and closer to the boys, but when Sirius took a seat Crookshanks trotted forwards and leapt into his lap. Hermione smiled knowingly.

"What is this?" Sirius asked confused.

"It looks like a cat." James said.

"But cats hate me now." Sirius said. He looked completely baffled.

Hermione giggled.

"What are you laughing at Peverell?" he demanded. He'd moved his hands up as though trying to fend off the kitten even as Crookshanks settled himself on Sirius's thigh and began to purr.

"That is a cat. He's mine his name is Crookshanks." Hermione told him as she sat next to him and petted the kitten. Sirius smirked at the proximity of her hand to his thigh while she did so.

"Err... are you sure he's a real cat?" Remus asked her.

"Of course he's a real cat." Hermione said smiling.

"But all cats hate Sirius. They tend to avoid the whole group of us actually. Except me." James said. Hermione grinned. Naturally cats would hate Sirius and Remus for being dog and wolf, and Peter even more as a rat. James as a stag wouldn't bother cats much.

"Why do you suppose that is?" Hermione said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at Sirius. He looked at her oddly for a moment, clearly wondering if she knew their secret.

"Yeah cats always hate us." Peter's squeaky voice piped up.

Almost immediately Crookshanks' fur stood on end and he arched his back, hissing wildly. Then he attacked, leaping off Sirius Crookshanks launched himself at Pettigrew's face, scratching and yowling angrily.

"Oh my!" Hermione said, secretly pleased with her kitten. She didn't move right away either. Just watched for a minute or so as her cat attacked the plump boy.

"'Mione, you gonna call him off?" James asked her, even as he gasped for breath. Next to her Sirius was barking with laughing, and Remus practically howled as he laughed while Pettigrew struggled weakly against the raging ball of orange anger.

Merlin, they even laugh like the animals they turn into, Hermione thought as James began a sort of braying laugh.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione said sternly.

The kitten froze, his claws sunk into the cheeks of Peter as he turned towards his mistress.

"Leave that boy alone this minute." Hermione told him. She smiled happily when Crookshanks retracted his claws and dropped to the floor before leaping onto Sirius again and curling up on his leg.

"What in Merlin's name just happened?" Sirius said, still giving off barks of laughter.

"I'm terribly sorry about that." Hermione said trying to pretend she meant it "I don't even know your name, but I apologise for Crookshanks. He is actually particularly foul tempered with almost everything. The man at the shop had to wear dragon hide gloves just to touch his cage. He's a devil to everyone but me most of the time." Hermione said.

"Oh yeah, 'Mione this is Peter Pettigrew. A friend of ours. He's been in St. Mungo's this last week. Nasty case of Spattergroit." Sirius said, waving his hand towards Peter.

"Oh, well, it's err...nice...to meet you" Hermione said.

Peter's face was covered in scratches and he was bleeding from several of them. He also looked like he was trying not to cry.

"I'm terribly sorry about Crookshanks. He's not usually that vicious. There must be something about you that he doesn't like." Hermione told him.

"I... I'm ok." Peter squeaked. "I've never seen you before. What's your name?" he asked her

"Oh I'm Hermione Peverell. I'm a transfer student from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic." She told him.

"A transfer student?"

"Yes. I transferred here because I now live with Albus, my Godfather."

"And you said you're a Peverell?" he squeaked. Crookshanks opened his yellow eyes and hissed at him.

"I did yes. My mother's name was Peverell." She answers.

"Prongs, aren't you a Peverell descendant?" Peter squeaked at James.

"Yeah I think so. Mum's mother was a Peverell before she married a Black and then Mum married Dad and had me. So yeah I guess I am. Does this mean we're related?" James asked, turning towards Hermione.

"Distant Cousins I suspect." Hermione told him. "My mother was a Peverell. And I never met my father. Mother told me he died when I was young, and they had never married."

"Well then welcome to the Family 'Mione!" Sirius said clapping her on the shoulder.

Hermione raised her eyebrows and stared at him confused.

"Padfoot you're confusing her. You see Hermione, as well as being friends; Sirius here practically lives at my house. Every time we have holidays he comes and stays with me as soon as he can get away from his family." James explained

"Yeah, my dear old Mum has never forgiven me for being sorted into Gryffindor and betraying the Ancient and Most Noble house of Black." Sirius said bitterly "Plus, when we were young and foolish James and I became blood brothers." He added proudly.

"I see." Hermione murmured. Blood bonds were dangerous because of the link they forged between people.

"Don't look so worried 'Mione, we were eleven years old. We didn't vow to die at the same time or anything." Sirius told her reassuringly. "It's ok. Even if you're James's distant cousin, you're not actually related to me." He whispered in her ear.

"Come on, let's go to dinner. I'm starved." Remus said. He was smirking slightly as he watched Hermione narrow her eyes on Sirius while he got to his feet.

"Crookshanks" Hermione murmured as she scooped the kitten up off Sirius's lap and held him in front of her face. "Dearest, I'm going to dinner now. You be a good boy and don't go attacking anyone else ok. Explore for a bit and I'll be back later." She told him softly before she set him on the cushion beside her that Sirius had vacated and took the hand he offered to help her to her feet.

"Thank you." Hermione told Sirius before walking quickly to catch up with Remus.

"So Sirius told me your grandmother's not well?" she said softly. "That you're going home to see her this weekend?"

"Err yeah..." Remus said softly. Hermione smiled. It was clear that he felt uncomfortable lying to her but didn't want to tell her he was actually a teenage werewolf. "Yeah she's been sick for a while. I'll be heading home tomorrow morning, until probably Monday." He told her, glancing anywhere but at her face.

When they reached the Great Hall they all took their seats and filled Hermione in on their plan for James to get Lily's attention. They had picked a pretty fifth year Hufflepuff girl as their target. According to Sirius, she was very pretty but also a particularly nasty piece of work with a few insidious blights to her name. Apparently she was particularly fond of spreading vicious rumours about her fellow students. Sirius felt that if they were going to lead on some poor girl to make Lily jealous they might as well pick someone who deserved to be on the receiving end of one of their pranks.

Hermione had to say that this plan at least meant that they weren't breaking the heart of a decent girl. After much urging on their part, James got up and wandered over to the Hufflepuff table and asked the girl to be his date to Hogwarts the following weekend.

"So what's the plan for the weekend?" Peter squeaked to Sirius.

Sirius and Remus both gave him dark looks before glancing warily at Hermione. She pretended she wasn't listening.

"You already know Pete." Remus almost snarled at him.

Hermione glanced sideways at the snarl in his tone. Remus looked a little pale this evening and Hermione wondered if maybe he felt the effects of the moon being so close to full. He had been a little edgy all day. She didn't say anything though. Just took another bite of her apple pie desert. Hermione had been thinking though. Perhaps, being as she was stuck in this time and currently best friends with two animagus and a werewolf –Hermione would never count Peter as her friend- perhaps it might be an idea for her to research becoming an animagus herself. She had thought about it in her own time, but had always been so busy with Harry and Ron getting her into trouble that she never had time.

"Well I think that this weekend I'm going to hole up and study." Hermione told them mildly.

"Say 'Mione, I forgot to ask you, was Evans rude to you when you went upstairs? She seemed particularly out of orts after she saw James with his arm around you" Sirius asked her.

"When would she have been rude to me?" Hermione asked.

"In your dormitory."

"Oh, um... I don't actually live in the sixth year girls Dormitory." Hermione said.

"What?"

"Yes, well, you see. Because I actually live here at Hogwarts, I have my own suite. Sort of like the teachers do. I have my own room with a bed and study area and fire and bathroom attached."

"That would be cool." Sirius said, looking impressed. "So it's like having your own room at home, only you're still at school."

Hermione nodded at him. Remus and Peter looked particularly impressed.

"Pity it's at the top of the girls stairs though. Otherwise it would make an excellent place to hang out while we plan our pranks." Sirius said. His eyes were twinkling as he grinned at Hermione though, as though he could think of other ways to utilise the privacy of such a room.

"And have you lot making my room smell bad. I don't think so." Hermione teased. Remus gave her a gentle shove and Sirius fixed her a doubtful look.

"Yes I'm sure you'd prefer the scents of the person you fancy filling the room wouldn't you 'Mione?" Sirius said wickedly. Hermione narrowed her eyes on him again. Surely her comment upstairs hadn't tipped him off as to who it was that she liked. After all, James and Remus often invaded her personal space as well as Sirius. Maybe he had only worked out that she liked one of the Marauders.

Hermione just smiled at him with a wicked little gleam in her eye and didn't say a word.


	5. Of Quidditch and Werewolves

**A/N: Cherubs! Another Chapter for you! YAY! Many thanks to all of you who review. I hope you are all enjoying the story so far. Also my prayers are with the fans within America who have been affected by the Hurricane. I hope everything with all of you is well and that the damage you have suffeed is not permanent... Please review. Much Much love xx - Kitten.**

Chapter 5: Of Quidditch and Werewolves.

Hermione woke up late on Saturday morning. She knew she should have gotten up early and gone to breakfast with the Quidditch team. After all James was captain, as well as being seeker, and Sirius was a beater on the Gryffindor team. But she had rolled over and fallen back to sleep instead. Besides, what was wrong with her sleeping in and grabbing something to eat to take down the pitch so she could watch them from the stands?

It wasn't as though they needed her there to wish them good luck. They were both excellent players and they knew it, and they'd gotten along just fine in their games before she was shot putted back to the seventies. And more importantly, Hermione was discovering many new and exciting things about herself in this life.

The most interesting one was that in spite of how much she still thirsted for knowledge, she didn't feel the need to pour through every book she could get her hands on. Didn't feel the need to live up to the standard she had set for herself in her old time. In this time she hadn't developed a five year reputation for always knowing the answer to every question in class. Hadn't allowed her teachers to develop the expectation that she could answer every one of their questions correctly even when other students in the class couldn't.

Of course her need to get outstanding grades hadn't changed at all. But now she didn't feel the need to be completely in control all of the time. Which is why she had allowed herself a sleep in today even though she had an essay to write for Defence Against the Dark Arts on the Unforgivable Curses. Something that in her own time she had, of course covered in fourth year. Though that fact probably attributed to her not feeling the pressing need to leap out of bed at seven in the morning and get it done. Not to mention that other than the Quidditch game she had to watch, she had nothing else on for the day and the boys wouldn't be disturbing her tonight because they would be running around with a werewolf.

Stretching languidly and enjoying the delicious feel in her muscles as she did, Hermione sat up slowly and looked around her suite. Of course she didn't have any pictures of family and friends to adorn her walls, and Hermione didn't want to find some random picture to pretend was her mother, but she felt like she ought to have pictures. Posters even. Hermione wondered if there was anything from the Seventies that she had enjoyed in her own time. Perhaps she would order a wizarding camera and take some picture of her new friends and Crookshanks. Hermione smiled when she saw her cat curled up on the end of her bed.

Sighing Hermione got out of bed and walked to the window. The Quidditch pitch was swarming with people but the game hadn't begun yet. The stands were packed though, and Hermione could see several people still making their way towards the grounds. It looked cold outside too. There was a strong wind whipping the trees about wildly and the heavy grey clouds looked ready to split open and provide a heavy downfall of rain or perhaps even snow. A light blanket of snow laid over the grounds as well.

Tossing her pyjamas off herself and onto the floor Hermione raided her closet and her trunk for enough clothing to wear so that she wouldn't freeze to death. Eventually she ended up wearing the pair of sturdy brown snow boots she'd bought during the week, her jeans with a pair of tights beneath them, two tank tops, a pink woollen long sleeved shirt and her knitted Weasley jumper with her Gryffindor scarf and a white angora wool knitted hat. She thought about taking a cloak, but she really only had her black school cloaks.

Realising it was the best she could really do until she ordered more clothing Hermione exited her suite, making sure to lock the door behind her before slipping the key back over her neck and beneath her clothing. She had taken to wearing it on a string around her neck. Hermione gasped when she reached the common room.

Remus and Peter were waiting for her, sitting in armchairs at the bottom of the stairs. Remus was looking particularly pale and irritable as he met her gaze.

"I thought you were going home to see you grandmother?" Hermione said to him as she walked towards the boys. And she had too, which was part of the reason Hermione had slept in. She had hoped that being as Remus would be locked in the Shrieking Shack for his transformation this evening, and Sirius and James were playing in the Quidditch game, that she could avoid Peter by being late. After all she had only met the sixteen year old version of Pettigrew last night, and he hadn't said much. But she didn't trust him. Of course that was purely based on the events that had unfolded in her own time that led to the death of James and Lily, and the imprisonment of Sirius as well as the return of Voldemort and death of Cedric Diggory. As well as many subsequent deaths at the hands of other Death Eaters that had escaped Azkaban with the assistance of Voldemort.

The point was she had slept in to avoid Peter because she couldn't just put that bias aside. If she had known Remus was coming to the game she would have gotten up sooner and gone to breakfast rather than keep Remus waiting.

"Not until after the game." Remus told her, he smiled at her weakly but Hermione felt sorry for him having to try so hard to not look incredibly unwell. She also admired him for wanting to maintain as much semblance of normality as possible by making sure he didn't miss the Quidditch game his friends were playing in juts because of his condition. If it was possible her respect for him grew even more.

"Are you alright? You look terrible Remus." Hermione told him softly, pressing her hand gently against his forehead. He didn't have a temperature of course, but he was sweating slightly from the strain of his condition. Hermione smiled at him sadly, he looked particularly irritable and cranky. But he tried to smile at her reassuringly nonetheless. Tried being the key words, mostly it came out as a twisted sort of grimace.

"I'll be ok." He mumbled looking embarrassed. "Are you wearing that to the game?" he asked her seriously.

"Erm... Well I was going to. I looked outside and it looks like it's going to get wet out there. But I don't have anything warmer. I'm still waiting on my clothes arriving from Beauxbatons." Hermione said softly. It was lie. Mostly she just hadn't gotten around to ordering anymore because she felt bad asking Dumbledore for money and she kept secretly hoping that somehow she'd work out how to get back to the future.

"You can borrow something of mine. You can't go out like that, you'll freeze. The Quidditch pitch here gets really cold in the stands watching the game. Come on." He said, getting to his feet and beckoning her towards the boys stairs. Peter was watching Remus with a worried expression on his face.

"Hi Hermione." He said shyly. Hermione looked at him over her shoulder as she followed Remus up the stairs. Peter must have chosen to wait for them downstairs because he wasn't following them up. Hermione waved at him before following Remus into what she assumed was the sixth year Gryffindor boy's dormitory.

"Remus are you quite sure you're alright?" Hermione asked him as he rummaged moodily through his trunk.

The boy's dormitory contained four beds, obviously belonging to Remus, Sirius, James and Peter. The room was rather messy, with clothes hanging out of trunks and tossed around on the floor. Hermione smiled when she saw that one of the boys owned a teddy bear. All of the beds were unmade.

"Yeah. It's just hard sometimes." Remus mumbled. "Here you go." He added as he thrust a heavy looking leather jacket into her hands. "This will keep you warm and it's water proof so if it rains you'll stay dry." He looked really washed out when Hermione smiled at him. He was in her personal space and Hermione could see the way he kept clenching his jaw tight. He was grinding his teeth too.

"Thanks so much Remus." She said as she pulled it on. It smelled like him. Like loam and citrus and the musky scent that Hermione always remembered smelling in his classes and when she saw him at Grimauld place in her old life. She knew that the musky scent was his own body scent from being a werewolf. It made him smell like a wolf, or a shaggy dog sometimes. She didn't mind though.

"But you ought to know that you're a rotten liar. You look like you're about to collapse. You're all pale and tense." Hermione told him, lightly pressing her palm against his pale cheek. He was staring intently at her from where he stood, inches away from her. His jaw clenched and unclenched twice beneath her palm before he responded.

"I'll be alright Hermione." He assured her with what he must have hoped was a smile. It came out as a grimace again. "So..." he began, with a small twinkle in his golden brown eyes.

"So?" Hermione asked, taking her hand away from his clammy cheek and letting him think she didn't know the truth.

She hadn't realised until now how tall Remus was. He was easily taller than six feet. Maybe six foot two. Meaning she had to tilt her head back to look him in the eye because he stood so close to her. though sometime during the week she must have grown accustomed to having people within her personal space bubble, no doubt due to Sirius and his utter disregard for boundaries.

"So, based on yesterday's expedition into the magical world of scent, you have a crush huh?" he grinned wolfishly at Hermione.

"It would seem so, yes." Hermione said, smirking at him. His eyes were twinkling with fun and the topic of conversation seemed to allow him to shift his focus from being grumpy and irritable.

"You were right by the way. I do know who it is that smells like that." Remus whispered. Hermione grinned a little when he slid his feet minutely closer. He was already well within her personal space, but he seemed to enjoy moving even closer into her, until they were practically nose to nose.

"I thought you might..." Hermione whispered. It felt funny to be standing this close to Remus. The gleam in his eyes was confusing her too. It seemed as though he was thinking of doing something sinister, like kissing her or perhaps taking a bite out of her, even though he just admitted to knowing she had a crush on Sirius.

"You know Hermione..." Remus said softly, the gleam in his eyes making them look even more golden, as though they were shifting to wolf eyes in spite of the fact that the full moon wasn't until tonight. "I'm sure you've noticed that the group of us are all very close. Do you think it might be odd if the dynamic of the group shifted?" he murmured.

Hermione gulped a little nervously. His voice was deep and smooth as her spoke but she worried about the feral gleam in his eyes. Her head was now tilted almost all the way back and Hermione was acutely aware of the way the position he had her in completely exposed her throat. Not to mention the way it tilted her face so that his was above hers and all he would have to do was lean down to be able to kiss her soundly on the lips.

"I think my presence has already altered the dynamic of the group. Don't you?" Hermione asked him softly.

"Hmmm" Remus hummed affirmatively. "And you having a crush on Sirius presents a slight problem don't you think?" he asked her.

"I suppose. Does it bother you Remus?" Hermione asked.

"I think it does." He murmured "Not for jealousy reasons. Sirius has always had a way with women. But I am a little disappointed that you fell for him when you've heard all about what a dog he is to women."

"So what you're really saying here is that it doesn't bother you that I like Sirius, it bothers you that he doesn't like me back and you think that will cause rifts within the group when I go and get my heart broken over him?" Hermione asked him.

What a sweetie pie!

"Yeah." Remus muttered. The feral gleam in his eyes had actually turned them completely yellow. Wolf eyes watched her from inches away. "But I think I have a solution..." he murmured, smiling gently. This time is was a proper smile too, not a forced grimace of a smile. No this was the smile of an alligator after a good meal, the smile of a wolf as he licks his lips as though already savouring the meal he knows is coming.

Hermione could feel herself thinking the words of little red riding hood _"My, what big white teeth you have..." _when it happened.

Before she could blink Remus leant down and planted his lips on top of hers, his arms coming up to wrap around her, one around her lower back to prevent her from stepping away from him and one at the back of her neck so that she couldn't turn her face away from him either. Hermione felt herself gasp in shock.

Remus Lupin was kissing her.

The sixteen year old version of Remus rather than the version of him when he was her school teacher and adult friend, but still.

She was surprised when he kissed her softly. His lips only grazing against hers with feather light pressure. At least for a moment. Then he seemed to lean into the kiss, his tongue sweeping against the seam of her lips with enough pressure to part them, then delving deeper to sweep against her tongue intimately. His hand on the back of her neck tightened when Hermione squeaked in protest and his strong arms around her tightened, pulling her to him until their bodies were pressed intimately against each other. Hermione realised that with him so close to the change brought about by the full moon tonight, his strength would be heightened and that if she tried to fight him off he may accidently hurt her.

Realising there was not really much she could do to stop him this very second, Hermione let her arm snake around his waist and tried to bring the other hand up to slide into his hair. Remus's grip on her was so possessively that thought that she couldn't get her hand any higher than the side of his neck, where she could feel his pulse pounding rapidly. Gently Hermione kissed him back, massaging her tongue against his as the taste of werewolf invaded her mouth entirely. Remus growled in response, his hand in her hair at the back of her neck tightening slightly as he kissed her even more passionately.

And having him kiss her felt nice. It really did. It certainly felt much nicer than the times she had kissed Victor in fourth year... but it didn't set her pulse racing or her toes curling or her insides into their gymnastics routine.

Her body didn't have that excited, fluttery response to Remus kissing her. the one Ginny had told her about, where one was supposed to feel weak in the knees and as though just a little of that feeling was never enough. Kissing Remus didn't feel like that. Not like the way it did when Sirius smiled at her. It still felt nice, there was nothing unpleasant about the intimate experience of Remus's tongue sweeping gently against hers, but there weren't any sparks.

Pushing gently against his chest with one hand and tugging on the back of his jacket with the other Hermione pulled back from him.

Remus snarled at her, making Hermione realise that the wolf within Remus was not only almost completely in charge of his actions but also obviously displeased.

"You need to let me go Remus." Hermione told him in a strong voice. The type of commanding voice she'd used with Grawp in her old life. Remus still had hold of her waist and the hand he'd had on her neck now rested on her shoulder. His yellow wolf eyes searched her face, even as he snarled before he seemed to jolt suddenly before stumbling back from her quickly

When he reached his bed he looked up at her again and his eyes had returned to their golden brown colour.

"Oh Bollocks! Hermione, I'm so sorry!" Remus said. He sounded absolutely appalled with himself. At that moment Hermione realised something. Years ago when she had done the assignment for professor Snape on werewolves she had read that in the days leading up to, and especially the day of the change, hormones within the body of a werewolf went haywire. At the time Hermione remembered thinking that it sucked for werewolves to not only have to transform, but also suffer the same types of symptoms as PMT.

Just now, those hormones raging through him had clearly taken control.

"It's ok Remus." Hermione told him.

He looked completely horrified by what he had done and Hermione felt a little sorry for him. The poor guy sure did beat himself up a lot considering that he had no control over his condition and certainly had never had a choice in the matter.

"Merlin, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. I don't know what came over me. Hermione please forgive me. I don't deserve it I know. Oh Merlin, and all this when I know you like Sirius. I'm such a tosspot!" Remus muttered miserably. He sank down onto the end of his bed and buried his face in his hands, clearly too embarrassed to look at her.

"Remus, sweetie, it's ok. I forgive you. Of course I do. You just surprised me that's all." Hermione told him.

Making sure not to move too quickly so as not to startle him Hermione ambled over to him and sat down next to him on the end of his bed. Lightly she rubbed her hand in circles against his back.

"I didn't mean to." He mumbled to her, his face still buried in his hands.

"I know. And it's really alright. Please stop apologising. I completely understand." Hermione told him.

"How can you understand when I don't even understand?" he muttered miserably. The poor bloke. He really had no control over himself when the werewolf was practically upon him.

"It's all about hormones and emotions and outlets." Hermione told him softly. For now it would do no good to let him know that she knew without any indicators that he was a werewolf. But she could fix him an excuse that worked with the story he fed her about his sick grandmother.

"You see, stress and fear and worry as emotions have a way of morphing into a nasty concoction of hormones in the brain. And being as you are all three of those things at the moment that concoction clearly raged wildly. I read somewhere that when those hormones combine in our brains, we deal with it one of three ways. Three possible outlets for that out of control hormone concoction. The best known and most regular outlet is through violence. The hormones release themselves in the form of anger and rage, to the point where one becomes violent. Like when something upsets me and I seriously consider hexing off the noses of everyone around me. Another common outlet is transference of the hormones into adrenaline that allows for productive action. Which is why so many girls I know tend to clean obsessively when they are upset. Then there is a third outlet. It's the least common I think, though that's not saying much because I read it is still quite prevalent. But the third outlet rolls the hormones of fear, stress and worry into lust. I used to have a teacher that I knew very well outside of school. He and his wife used to argue frequently and when he got so stressed at her and worried about her job as an Auror, he'd always growl and grab hold of her and kiss the daylights out of her." Hermione told him.

She didn't mention that the teacher she spoke of was him when he and Tonks argued.

Remus slowly lifted his head to look at her. He looked uncertain and still looked contrite about kissing her. Hermione smiled at him kindly.

"You read all this somewhere?" he asked her softly.

Hermione nodded.

"Often the lust outlet is triggered by something. I think in this case it might be triggered by me wearing your jacket. I'm fairly certain I read somewhere that the reason men like for their wives or girlfriends to wear the man's clothing are to do with ownership. In this instant you own the jacket, and me wearing it indicates that I must also belong to you, otherwise why would I wear it?"

"You really think so?"

"Oh yes. Because for all that we like to think we have advanced beyond animalistic tendencies, the primal instincts within humans are the same as those within animals. We share the 'fight or flight' instinct, as well as the need to show ownership in the same way animals mark their territory. Deep down we're all just animals. Animals who like to dress up and pretend we have morals and manners." Hermione told him.

When Remus finally gave her a small smile, Hermione felt like she had just cured cancer.

"You have no idea." He muttered.

Hermione tried to hide her giggle at his words.

"So you think it's my jacket? I guess we better get you a different one then. Before I assault you again." Remus said to her, trying to smile but mostly looking guilty.

"Oh now, I promise you didn't assault me" Hermione said, admonishing him slightly.

"All the same. I'll get you something to wear that isn't mine. I'd hate to make you uncomfortable again." Remus told her flatly, getting to his feet and wandering over to the bed next to his "I don't think it will be a good idea to give you anything of Peter's, especially with that crazy cat of yours around here somewhere. And James's things will no doubt elicit hatred from Lily. So you'll just have to wear something of Sirius's. Because that will just be torture for you." Remus said, smirking at Hermione before digging into Sirius's trunk.

"You'll have to wear this. But promise me you won't damage it in any way. Sirius will murder both of us if that jacket gets damaged. He loves the damn thing more than his own hair." Remus said as he handed Hermione the leather jacket that Sirius wore so frequently. And Hermione couldn't help but laugh at how Remus described it. Sirius really did love his hair, so to say that he loved the jacket even more was certainly saying something.

"You don't think he'll mind me borrowing his favourite jacket? After all it has been snowing, and most likely will rain today, if not sleet and snow some more. Won't he be upset if it gets damaged by the weather because I'm wearing it outside?" Hermione asked. The leather was soft and supple beneath her fingers as she clutched Sirius's jacket.

"Oh I doubt he'll mind too much. That jacket is drowning in protective magic to keep it from being damaged by weather or stray hexes. And while I'm sure you know this already, Sirius subconsciously feels affection towards you, beyond the friendship James and I have developed with you. The scents he picked up in the dungeon the yesterday, as I'm sure you are aware, are scents that smell particularly like you. Which is why it's even worse that I lost control and kissed you right now. Though I don't think Sirius is actually aware that it's you he smelled." Remus told her.

"I think he might know, after all, he has told me twice now that I smell like wildflowers, and after my shower last night he noticed that I smell like rosewater." Hermione said.

"Well then, I doubt he will mind at all when he sees you wearing his jacket. Especially when he isn't using it and when you tell him you hadn't anything better to keep you warm. But we really should get down to the pitch. James and Sirius would hate us to miss the game. They were shocked when you didn't come to breakfast with the team. But I told them you might have needed the sleep in and that maybe, since you don't really know Pete, you might have wanted to go down by yourself later because I forgot to tell you I would be coming to the game." Remus said, taking Hermione's hand and towing her along, out of the dormitory and down the stairs and past Peter in the common room.

"Shouldn't we wake him?" Hermione asked as Remus dragged her past Peter who had fallen asleep and was snoring lightly from the couch by the fire.

"Not really. He's still weak from the Spattergroit. It won't do him any good to be out in the cold at the game, but the sleep will help him. Now come on. I don't want to miss the game Hermione." Remus said, dragging her out of the Common room and all the way down through the castle and outside into the chilly wind.

Hermione shivered and wrapped herself up tightly in Sirius's coat and she and Remus jogged down to the Quidditch pitch. The layer of snow on the ground should have made the going slippery but the many feet that had gone before them had practically cleared a path all the way to the pitch.

They held hands as Remus towed her into the stands amongst Gryffindor supporters, so that they wouldn't be separated by the crowd as they cheered while the players flew around the pitch at break neck speeds on their brooms. Hermione realised they had missed the beginning of the game, but they could only be a few minutes late. This was confirmed when Gryffindor scored and the commentator roared happily about the first hoop of the game.

Hermione's eyes searched the players trying to locate James and Sirius.

It was hard going because the players flew so quickly, they were practically red and gold blurs of colour as they streaked around the pitch. But eventually Hermione's eyes landed on one of the players that sat on his broom high above the stands. It was an image she had seen many times in her old life and Hermione wondered how it was that Harry had learned so many of James's habits when he'd only had a year with his father.

James sat up there on his broom and Hermione noticed that even though his eyes scanned everywhere for some glimpse of the golden snitch, he also scanned the stands with his hazel eyes. Grinning, Hermione raised her arm, looking directly at James and waved wildly at him. His eyes caught the movement and Hermione couldn't help but beam when James almost lost his balance on his room because he waved back so enthusiastically. Remus chuckled when he saw James waving madly and also raised his arm.

Hermione outright laughed when a red and gold blur sped up to James, swooping next to him before coming to a stop. Sirius wore that smug grin of his as he waved lazily at Remus and Hermione with his beaters bat.

"Merlin those two are idiots." Remus said good naturedly to her as they both sped off suddenly. The affection in his tone had Hermione smiling happily. In spite of the damaged relationship between herself and Ron in her own time, she had always felt that same kind of affection for both Ron and Harry, loving them dearly in spite of the many times they infuriated her.

"It's true, but their adorable in their idiocy." Hermione agreed. Rems chuckled at her words even as they watched Sirius slam his bat against a bludger and send it flying towards the Ravenclaw keeper.

The keeper didn't see it coming, too distracted by the chasers circling the hoops with the quaffle, and the bludger slammed into his right shoulder. Hermione winced as the keeper howled in pain, audible above the crowd and clutched his injured shoulder which was probably broken. The crowd screamed and cheered and booed simultaneously as Gryffindor scored again.

As the game resumed and the crowd quieted slightly Hermione noticed Remus watching the sky. The clouds hung heavily over the pitch, sometimes the players were even lost amongst them before reappearing soaking wet. Hermione jumped as the crack of thunder sounded. Many people in the crowd actually screamed and Hermione noticed many students beginning to gather their belongings in case it began to rain.

"We're about to get wet." Remus murmured to Hermione, his golden eyes still fixed on the sky as lightning flashed above their heads.

"They won't cancel the game will they?" Hermione asked him. In her own time such storms hadn't stopped the Quidditch games, but perhaps it was different in the seventies.

"No, the game will play on until someone wins or until it's declared hopeless. Unless someone is struck by lightning or something. They'll cancel the game if it's proven that the storm is endangering the students and the players." Remus told her. "And here it comes." He murmured as he glanced at Hermione moments before the sky cracked wide open on a rumble of thunder and the downpour began.

The rain bucketed down as Hermione watched many Hogwarts students made a run for the castle, deserting the game in favour of staying warm and dry within the castle. But the game raged on, the players curses heard clearly in spite of the pouring rain and cracking thunder and lightning. Remus and Hermione remained in the stands, squinting into the rain, trying to see what was happening with the game.

Hermione smiled in relief when she heard a shrill whistle indicating that someone had called a timeout. Taking hold of Remus's hand Hermione tugged him out of the stands and down to the Gryffindor players dressing sheds.

She was appalled when she got there. The team all looked half drowned and they all shivered violently in the cold dressing shed. There was snow on the ground outside for Merlin's sake! Why didn't one of the players use a heating charm to heat the shed and dry their wet robes?

"Bloody Hell!" She cursed as she strode deeper into the tent, causing the players to jump. She dragged Remus in as well and noticed that in spite of the cold and the rain he looked relatively comfortable. Probably the hormones and werewolf symptoms keeping him warm.

"What are you two doing in here?" One of the players asked, stuttering madly as their teeth chattered uncontrollably. James and Sirius sat huddled together for warmth and they both stared at Hermione and Remus incredulously.

"Honestly, do none of you remember that you have wands? It's freezing in here." Hermione said exasperatedly. They all just stared at her so Hermione stamped her foot and got to work.

Murmuring softly to herself she twirled her new wand this way and that, smiling when the shed heated up considerably until it was like they were all sitting in front of the fire in the common room. Then she set to work waving her wand in front of James and Sirius. They sat so close trying to keep warm that it was a wonder that one of them hadn't crawled into the lap of the other.

Hermione giggled when they started to get odd expression on their faces as she used magic to dry their robes quickly, adding a little extra heat to them to induce the effect she had always enjoyed as a child when her mother had handed her clothes fresh out of a tumble dryer. Both boys smiled at her gratefully, if incredulously when they realised they were now warm and dry while Hermione set to work on the rest of the team, and Remus for good measure.

She marvelled at the responsiveness of her wand. It was as though the magical combination in it yearned to perform each spell she gave it with accuracy and efficiency and in a way that made it better than any other. The power of each spell allowed her to perform the charms faster and stronger and she loved that the magic she used was so effective.

None of the team actually said anything until she was finished and they were all dry ad toasty warm.

"What did you just do?" James asked her, getting to his feet and pacing towards her.

"What do you mean? I dried you guys and heated the shed. With magic. I don't know why none of you thought of it." She said to them as she dried herself before sitting down on a vacant bench.

"But that magic has only just been approved by the ministry to be taught in schools. How did you do it so well?" Sirius asked her softly. His blue eyes were fixed on her and he smirked just a little bit at the sight of her wearing his leather jacket.

"Erm..." Hermione said softly. She'd forgotten that there was bound to be spells that she had learned in her time that might be very recent or not yet discovered in this time. She had just assumed that drying and heating spells had been used for centuries.

"I know it's only just been approved in schools here, but what the majority of you probably don't know" Hermione began a little shakily, thinking up a lie quickly "Is that in France there is a course the French ministry insists women take. It's offered to men as well, but it' compulsory for women to take a course that teaches all kinds of useful spells that one is likely to need within the home. Like cleaning spells and that sort of thing." Hermione told them. For all she knew there might be such a course and if there wasn't she ought to suggest it or even design it to be offered in schools or through the ministry of magic.

Because Merlin knew there were witches and wizards out there who needed the assistance, Hermione thought, thinking of Tonks. "Anyway, my mother worked for them, she designed the courses and she taught it all to me years ago." Hermione finished, making sure she kept the squeakiness out her voice so that no one would know she was lying. They must have believed her too because James nodded.

"Well the good news is that we're winning." He said to the team. They had cheered up considerably now that they weren't frozen. "But the bad news is that in this rain I have no hope of catching the snitch. I can barely see at all with the rain smearing my glasses." James told them all, sounding defeated.

Hermione smiled to herself. She had seen that look on Harry's face the first time he had played in the rain. Getting to her feet while James began to talk about the rest of the game and how the players were going, Hermione strolled over to him. He glanced at her for a moment but kept talking about the game. Sirius and Remus were both watching her closely and she could tell when she glanced at them both that neither of them were listening to James at all. They were too busy trying to work out what she was doing.

Even as he spoke James pulled his glasses off his face and rubbed his eyes with the other hand. And as soon as he did Hermione snatched his glasses out of his hand and danced backwards from him as he groped toward her. No one was listening now, but James had stopped talking and was instead insisting that Hermione wasn't funny and to give his glasses back

"Would you relax James. I'm making it so that you will be able to catch the snitch." Hermione told him exasperatedly as she sat down next to Sirius and pointed her wand at the stolen spectacles.

"Impervius" she muttered, twirling her wand at the glasses as she performed the useful little spell. Sirius leant over her shoulder as she did so.

"What does that do?" he asked her.

"It makes the glasses repel water. Meaning that instead of having to take them off and dry them all the time, the glasses will stay dry and repel the rain so that James can still see." Hermione explained.

"James stand still, I'll levitate them back to you." Hermione told the boy as he shuffled towards her voice with his arms stretched out in front of him.

When he stood still Hermione levitated the glasses over to James until they rested back on his nose. He smiled at her. "Nice shot."

"Well with a head that big I couldn't miss." Hermione said cheekily, grinning at him. James stuck his tongue out at her before going back to lecturing the team.

"That's a real nice jacket you've got there 'Mione." Sirius told her softly, murmuring close to her ear.

"I thought so too." She whispered back sarcastically "Though whoever owns it ought to wash it more frequently, it smells like wet dog." Hermione teased him softly. Grinning at the appalled expression on his face.

"You love it." He murmured to her. "Now why exactly are you wearing my favourite jacket?" he asked her.

"Well, when I came downstairs Remus said I couldn't come to the game wearing just what I was wearing because I would freeze. And I'm still waiting for my things to arrive from France, so I don't have most of my warm clothing like my cloaks and jackets. So Remus leant me one of his, but we discovered that wasn't exactly in my best interests." Hermione said vaguely. Sirius looked intensely curious at her words. "So since I couldn't wear his, and Peter's would get me clawed by my own cat and Lily would flip if I borrowed something of James's, I had to borrow something of yours."

"I see. Why wasn't it in your best interests to borrow Remus's?" Sirius asked her, peering at her with those mischievous blue eyes from just inches away.

Hermione blushed slightly. She was going to tell him of course. Tell him that one of his best friends had kissed her. Mostly because she sort of wanted to see how he reacted to the news to try and work out if maybe he did know that his nose was telling his brain that he was attracted to her. She almost laughed when she saw his nostrils flare as he tried to use his heightened senses to gather information. He even leaned a little closer as he sniffed.

"You smell like him. How long did you have his jacket on?" Sirius asked her softly.

"Not very long. Only five minutes or so. But anyway it's not in my best interests at the moment to wear his things because he's so close..." Hermione trailed off as she realised she had been about to say so close to transforming "erm... so close to going home and possibly losing a relative. The stress got to him and me wearing his jacket triggered me as being an outlet for his stress." Hermione said.

For just a moment Sirius looked horrified and spun towards Remus, whom was sitting on his other side looking guilty as he listened to their conversation.

"Anyway, basically he kissed me." Hermione rushed to say, realising that Sirius thought Remus had temporarily lost control of the beast within and attacked her, injuring her in some way.

Sirius spun back to face Hermione as she told him that one of his best friends had kissed her and she saw the momentarily relief on his face to know that Remus hadn't hurt her, followed by an irritated expression. Hermione had to fight to keep the smirk off her face to know that it clearly bothered Sirius to think of Hermione being kissed by Remus.

"I see." Sirius muttered. He sounded disgruntled.

"Let's get back out there guys!" James said, concluding the lecture he had been giving that they hadn't been listening to.

"Hold on a second James." Hermione said, jumping to her feet as the team prepared to leave the tent.

"Hermione we need to get back out there and get this game finished." James said exasperatedly.

"Yes, and preferably all of you can get it finished quickly so that we can all get nice and warm. And it just so happens that I have a little trick that will make it so that we also win while achieving these goals. After all, if we all have to be out in this horrible weather we might as well get as many house points as we can while we're at it." Hermione told the team, smiling brightly.

"Ok, now if all of you just hold still, and don't panic when I point my wand at your faces, then we can get you all back out in the cold." Hermione grinned at the wary expressions of the team, even as she turned to Sirius and shot him in the face with and Impervius charm, followed by a one for his hands so that he wouldn't lose his grip on his beaters bat or his broom.

Moving quickly she made sure the entire team would have the best chance at winning in spite of the downpour before grinning up at James.

"How exactly does this help?" James asked her. He looked stressed and exasperated with her antics and Hermione laughed out loud when she realised that she had only known these boys for a week so of course they hadn't come to realise that they could rely on her for having good ideas and nifty magic tricks.

"Just get out there and find out ok. And try to win. I don't like sitting out in the cold to watch my team lose." Hermione told him with a smile, patting his cheek lightly and giving him a shove toward the exit to the pitch.

"Remus?" Hermione said, glancing at her friend.

He looked terrible.

Far worse than he had this morning. Now he literally looked like he was fighting to keep the beast inside. Which was odd because the clouds would be blocking out the moon, and while they couldn't stave off the transformation, they did delay it slightly.

But when Remus met her gaze his eyes were entirely wolf and his hands shook violently. His jaw was clenched so tight that it was sending his cheeks a deathly pale shade of white. He was almost ghost white, rather than the grey tinge his skin took on during the change.

Sirius appeared at her side and distantly she heard James send the team ahead of them. They shared a worried glance.

"Remus, sweetie you're getting worse." Hermione told him.

Sirius tried to reach for her to pull her back as Hermione stepped closer to Remus, no doubt trying to protect her in case Remus lost control. After all, if need be both James and Sirius could take their animal forms and then not be infected with the werewolf virus if they were bitten in animal form, where Hermione would be infected if she were bitten.

Hermione ignored him as she stepped closer to Remus and pressed her hand against his forehead again. His temperature had increased a little bit. Hermione frowned, wondering if it was possible for a werewolf to get sick.

""Mione" Sirius murmured. Hermione looked over at him noticing the way Remus's wolf eyes watched her closely. Sirius tried to motion her away from their werewolf friend but Hermione just smiled at him reassuringly, feigning ignorance of the danger she was in.

Turning back to Remus Hermione let her hand slide slowly down to rest against his cheek and she sighed in relief when the werewolf boy closed his yellow wolf eyes and leant into her touch gently.

"Oh Remus sweetie, I'm not sure you should stay out in the snow much longer. And you'll be needing to head off as soon as the game is finished I think." Hermione said softly. She didn't mention his grandmothers at all, because she meant that he would have to head off to the Shrieking Shack. But James and Sirius seemed too preoccupied with Remus's state to notice.

"Now you two get on. You need to get that game finished. Please try to win. We'll be waiting for you as soon as your finished." Hermione told them, shooing them off as she helped Remus to his feet and dragged his arm over her shoulders. His eyes were still the feral yellow colour of the beast but he seemed to be in control in spite of the shaking hands and clenched jaw.

James and Sirius lingered for a moment longer, but when they heard a whistle blowing out on the pitch they both took off running for the game.

"You're not afraid of me, are you?" Remus asked her softly as she tugged him out of the shed and back into the stands in spite of the pour rain. The storm was raging wildly and the wind had picked up until it howled across the grounds and when Hermione turned to look Remus in the eye lighting crackled above their heads.

"Should I be?" Hermione asked him.

"Yes." He said simply.

"Well no. I'm not." Hermione told him with a bright smile before she turned to squint up at the game. The announcer was shouting into the amplifier but the words were fuzzy and hard to understand because of the howling wind and pounding rain.

The stands were almost empty, but for a few hard core fans. The game raged on for another twenty minutes or so, with Gryffindor playing far better than they had earlier and managing to score one hundred points. The rain kept pouring and Hermione winced when she felt a shard of sleet hit her. She was just about to suggest to Rems that they wait in the sheds when James whizzed past them waving the golden snitch triumphantly. Happily she hugged Remus and they rushed back to the Gryffindor sheds and out of the rain.

The team cheered happily in spite of their wet cold clothes, enjoying their victory. Hermione squeaked when Sirius appeared in front of her and scooped her into a tight embrace. He even bounced in place in his happiness and Hermione had no doubt that if he'd been in dog form he would have been wagging his tail madly.

Hermione couldn't help the massive back flips her tummy began performing at the feel of Sirius hugging her. He was laughing happily and he beamed up at her when she wrapped her arms around him so that he wouldn't drop her. He was still soaking wet and so was she but Hermione didn't care right then. She didn't care that she was so cold her teeth kept chattering. All she could do was beam down at that handsome face.

"Your spells were brilliant!" Sirius told her, squeezing her tightly before standing her on her feet again. He didn't stop hugging her though. And Hermione grinned at him widely when he started to lean his face closer to hers, his eyes fixed hungrily on her lips.

"Hermione! You are the most amazing girl I know!" James voice shouted before she was dragged away from Sirius and into James arms. He squeezed her tightly while Hermione sighed heavily.

Sirius Black had almost just kissed her.

And she'd wanted him to. Really wanted him to. So much so that she felt like stamping on James's foot for interrupting.

And she shouldn't be wanting to kiss him that much. Sure she fancied him, but it wasn't like she could start a relationship with him. If she was sent back to her own time somehow, then he would possibly remember her. And if she wasn't, such a relationship could completely alter the timelines and drastically change the future.

James squeezed her again before letting her go with a thank you. Hermione stepped back away from the madness within the tents as the fans of Gryffindor winning and the players formed a celebratory mosh pit in the middle of the shed. She watched them absently as she sat down, her mind on the fact that she and Sirius had almost kissed.

Yes, she'd kissed Remus earlier, but she hadn't felt anything for him beyond friendship. But even the idea of kissing Sirius had her stomach launching into that gymnastics routine again.

Would it really be so bad if she started something with Sirius? She certainly had a crush on him. And according to Dumbledore she was stuck here in this time permanently. He'd told her that it was unlikely she'd be able to go back, and even suggested that her presence here could mean she wasn't born to her muggle parents anymore. Which didn't make much sense to her, but then again, if she was already here, then she couldn't be there as well.

Did that mean that her life here was now the priority? That she may only come to know Harry and Ron as being a female friend of Harry's parents?

Time travel had always been such a confusing thing, and she knew that when she went back an hour she was able to be in two or three places at a time in her third year, but being back twenty years, before her own birth, perhaps that had different consequences.

Did it mean that if she was in fact stuck in this time and destined to live her life here now, that her presence here would have to achieve the same types of things she had achieved when she lived in her time? Was it possible that she could prevent the deaths of James and Lily Potter at the hands of Lord Voldemort? Could she change the way the future turned out? Perhaps ensure that Harry, a more noble and humble person she'd never met, could grow up surround by family that loved him? Could she prevent Voldemort ever finding James and Lily? Prevent them putting their trust in a rat like Peter?

Could she save Sirius from the madness of Azkaban and the blame for such heinous crimes when he was innocent? Could she save the lives of people she had come to care for so quickly?

Hermione knew one thing was certain. She was sure as hell going to try.


	6. Running Wild

**A/N: Another chapter for my dearest Cherubs. Also I have news. Important news! I'm trying to get one of my unpublished manuscripts finished and ready for submission to a publishing house by New Years Eve. This means that I won't be updating my fan fics as often, though when i need a break from my other story, i will be working on fan fiction, so don't lose heart on me ok. I hope you LOVE the new chapters i have for you. Pretty please keep up the revieiwing and a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has been leaving me reviews. Apologies for any grammar/ spelling mistakes, as well as charcter/ world mistakes. Much love xx- Kitten. **

Chapter 6: Running Wild.

In the commotion of Gryffindor winning the Quidditch match, Hermione almost didn't notice that Remus had disappeared. She wasn't surprised. Especially when she realised that he must have disappeared when they were still in the dressing sheds, escaping to the loneliness and safety of the Shrieking Shack while his housemates and his best friends celebrated their victory.

James and Sirius had provided butterbeer and a variety of tasty snack foods for the celebration as the party raged in the Gryffindor common room. Eventually they had been forced to migrate here from the sheds because the cold was making it impossible to enjoy anything. Now Hermione sat in the armchair by the fire in the common room sipping at a butterbeer and watching the clock. The game had finished around two o'clock this afternoon, and it was now almost eight and the moon was probably high. But James and Sirius especially seemed to be having trouble getting away from the party.

Peter was flitting around James and Sirius indulging his pathetic hero worship, but she had noticed that he too kept glancing at the clock and back to his friends, no doubt wondering when they would leave to help their friend. Hermione wondered that too. The trouble seemed to be stemming from the fact that the majority of the team members also crowded around James and Sirius.

Glancing around the common room and wondering how she could help her friends escape the crowd Hermione's gaze landed on one person in particular that did not look to be enjoying the party. In fact as Hermione watched her from across the room, it was painfully obvious that Lily Evans looked utterly miserable. The other girls in sixth year had either gone to bed or were away from the common room or crowded around James and Sirius.

But Lily was sitting on a table again the far wall. She had one leg stretched out straight in front of her and the other bent at the knee. Her elbow hooked over the top of her bent knee and a butterbeer hung loosely in her hand, the other hand rested on her thigh of her straight leg and she stared morosely at her lap. Her long red hair was pulled into a messy bun high up at the back of her head and she wore no make-up on her face. She wore an oversized t-shirt advertising the name of the muggle band ABBA and a pair of dark blue cotton flared pants.

Watching her, Hermione couldn't help but feel bad for her. Because as Hermione watched, Lily lifted her head and looked over at James. She seemed to be fighting the urge to curl her lip in disgust as James played with the snitch he had stolen, showing off his impressively quick reflexes as he let it go and caught it again. More than that, Lily Evans looked like maybe she wanted to get up and go over to the group of people crowded around James Potter and Sirius Black and Hermione could see from the way her forehead crinkled as she looked back down at her lap that that fact bothered Lily. Hermione smiled knowingly.

No doubt the news that James had asked Jenny Flaversham to be his date to Hogsmede next weekend had gotten back to Lily by now. And Hermione could just imagine how that titbit of information was toying with Lily's head.

Slowly, Hermione got to her feet. She felt a little hesitant to go over and talk to Lily, who had been polite but not exactly friendly with her this last week. Glancing towards the boys again and seeing that James was being flirted with by an adorable looking girl who couldn't be higher than fourth year Hermione decided that maybe Lily might be in need of a friend.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Hermione said softly when she stood in front of the table where Lily was seated. Lily looked up sharply. She wore a scowl on her pretty face and Hermione noticed that one of Lily's hands was clenched into a white knuckled fist. When she saw Hermione standing in front of her Lily's scowl faded slightly.

"Go ahead." She grunted grumpily.

Hermione wondered if this was how she had seemed to Harry these last few weeks that Ron and Lavender had become an item in her own time.

Smiling slightly, Hermione climbed onto the table and sat next to Lily, stretching her legs out in front of her and crossing them at the ankles.

"Pleased about the match?" Lily asked her. It was obvious that the red headed girl was in a bad mood but felt like she ought to be polite to the new girl.

"It wasn't bad, other than the atrocious weather. If not for the rain and that awful wind it would have been a beautiful day for it. Did you go down to watch?" Hermione responded pleasantly.

"Only until it started raining. After that I gave up on them. Usually when it rains during Quidditch games Gryffindor loses because Potter just can't see the snitch when his glassed get blurred by the rain." Lily said, her voice growled a little as she spoke James's last name.

"Yes the rain was very unpleasant. It stung as it struck and the wind just ripped right through my clothing, even with the leather jacket I borrowed from Sirius. When the rain started it was impossible to see the game, but Remus really wanted to stay for the game before he went to visit is grandmother. He was so tense and stressed that I didn't have the heart to suggest we go inside out of the weather." Hermione said softly, lying smoothly to make sure Lily remained unaware of Remus's '_hairy little problem'._

"Yeah, Remus has had a terrible run of luck. So many of his family members seem to get sick, or his cherished pet will suddenly die and he has to go home for it. I feel so bad for him, but I haven't seen him today."

"He looked just terrible this morning, the stress seemed to really be getting to him. I hope he'll be ok. I think he said he'll be back on Monday." Hermione said.

For several long minutes Hermione and Lily sat in silence and Hermione turned her attention to Sirius and James where they were still surrounded by people. The little fourth year girl was flirting insanely with James and Hermione smirked wondering if the reason behind her sudden interest was just because they won the game or because James -having asked out someone who wasn't Lily Evans- was suddenly fair game.

"How old do you think that little brat is?" Lily whispered suddenly, her voice packed with hatred. Hermione fought to hide her smile.

"Which little brat? There are several of them that look like they ought to be in bed by now."

Lily snorted in response "That little blonde one over there practically throwing herself at Potter. Her and the other one there with the wavy red hair drooling over Black."

Hermione's eyes swivelled back to the boys and found that Lily was right. There was a little red head, probably a third year by the looks of her. She was standing so close to Sirius that she might as well have just crawled into lap and asked him to read her a bed time story.

"Oh Merlin. I certainly hope I was never that pathetic. Those two look to be third and fourth years!" Hermione grumbled.

"Yes I thought so too. And those little tarts seem to be dripping sugar the way those two are lapping up the attention." Lily spat angrily.

"From your tone it sounds like this isn't exactly a regular occurrence?"

"Not exactly. Girls have always thrown themselves at Black and he just loves it, though they're usually at least fifth, sixth or seventh years, not trashy little third years. But I've never seen girls throw themselves at Potter like that. They all expected the easy let down he gave them, so most didn't bother. But ever since he asked that fat little Hufflepuff to Hogsmede girls have been throwing themselves at his feet. It's disgusting!"

Hermione's eyes narrowed as the third year girl touched Sirius's arm.

"I was a little bit shocked to be honest, from the gossip I've heard, the whole castle is shocked that James asked out someone who wasn't you actually." Hermione prodded very gently.

Lily glanced at Hermione.

"I was a little shocked too, he's always asked me and whenever I turn him down- because he's such a big-headed toe-rag- he just goes with his friends."

"Maybe he got tired of being told no." Hermione suggested "After all, he is a sixteen year old boy. Maybe he had one too many blows to that fragile ego and decided that you were a lost cause."

Hermione bit her lip when she saw Lily's face change. As those words sunk into her mind, Hermione watched the object of James's affection carefully and almost jumped for joy when she saw Lily's bottom lip tremble slightly.

"I know it's none of my business... but you look as though that bothers you Lily?" Hermione murmured. Deciding she had done enough prodding for now Hermione clambered back off the desk, leaving Lily with her jumbled thoughts.

Hermione's eyes narrowed as she watched that bratty little red head flirt wildly with Sirius. And before she was consciously aware of it, Hermione began to push her way through the crowd around James and Sirius, smiling gently at the agitated expression on Peter's face as he tugged gently on James's jacket. James ignored him.

When Hermione was standing directly behind Sirius she narrowed her eyes at the little slurry flirting with him, before she leant in to whisper into his ear

"You do realise that she is twelve, right Black?" Sirius jumped a tiny bit but Hermione could see the way his smile grew on his face as she sidled around closer to his side. Sirius smiled at her wickedly and the little red head began to pout almost straight away. She even went to touch Sirius's arm again in an attempt to draw his attention back to her. Hermione smirked when Sirius moved his arm out of her reach, completely oblivious to the little bitch, as he reached over and wrapped it around her waist, pulling Hermione close to his body until her hip pressed against his. Hermione couldn't hide her smirk as Sirius leant over towards her, his warm breath caressing the sensitive shell of her ear as he whispered back to her

"You getting jealous 'Mione?"

Hermione laughed, loudly!

"You must be joking Sirius? There's no need to flatter yourself."

Sirius smirked right back at her.

"Where have you been all afternoon anyway?" he asked her. He was completely ignoring the twelve year old now and Hermione smiled happily in spite of herself.

"Oh you know, mingling. Making some new friends maybe. I found one who I think might come around to being a great friend actually, as soon as she gets over her bad mood. But I can't blame her. I often get angry when my feelings and emotions try to confuse me as well." Hermione told him happily.

"Oh and who might this new friend be? Sirius asked, grinning at Hermione's pleased smile.

"Oh you know, just a particular girl who is currently very confused about the odd sense of jealousy and loss she's feeling for someone she had convinced herself she hated." Hermione said quietly.

"Is that right?" Sirius said smirking and searching the crowd for Evans.

"I didn't know your hair went a little bit wavy after it rains." Hermione commented, tugging on a section of Sirius's long black hair, mostly just looking for an excuse to touch him.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh when she noticed that many of the girls within the small crowd around the boys dispersed after noticing Sirius's obvious intimacy with Hermione in the way he kept his arm around her waist to hold her against his side. Smirking to herself, Hermione leaned around Sirius a little to look at James. He was flirting with the adorable little fourth year and Hermione chuckled when she saw Lily staring daggers at the two of them.

"Say James?" Hermione said, catching his attention "How do you suppose Remus is getting on tonight? He looked just dreadful this morning."

Sirius's arm tense around her and she smiled slightly when James and Sirius both glanced towards the windows and realised that night had fallen. Peter on the other hand, looked at Hermione for several long moments before he seemed to dismiss whatever thought he was entertaining.

"Shoot!" Sirius muttered under his breath. James was glancing around, clearly looking for a way to get away from the crowd so they could escape the castle under the invisibility cloak and help their wolfish friend.

"I do hope he's ok. Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you, because he had to leave right after the match ended, he asked me to ask if the three of you could post him his text book. He wasn't sure he'd be able to leave his grandmother to study, but we do have that essay coming up in charms. He said he didn't have time to get it himself, but that one of you would know where it was and to please post it to him tonight. You should do it now, just in case he needs it. It must be just awful for him."

Hermione lied smoothly and Peter, James and Sirius all stared at her for a moment. Clearly wondering how she came up with such a lie when she actually seemed to believe that Remus had gone home to say goodbye to his dying grandmother.

"You're right. We should make sure we post it to him. I think I might head to bed after that too. I'm kind of tired from the game." James said, clearly deciding it would be best out take the out she had given them rather than worrying that she might know the truth.

As the boys got to their feet the crowd of people began declaring they were off to bed too, or that they had study to do and other excuse to let them go to bed. Hermione stepped out of the warmth of Sirius's arm around her waist and smiled at the three boys.

"You know, I think I might..." Hermione trailed off when Sirius wrapped his hand tightly around her wrist and tugged her towards the boys stairs.

"What are you doing Sirius?" she whispered to him. Most of the people in the common room had already dispersed by now and Hermione watched James and Peter disappear up the boys steps while Sirius dragged her along with him.

"You forgot to say which textbook Remus wanted." Sirius lied smoothly as he watched the last stragglers leave the common room. As soon as they were gone Sirius tugged her towards him and then turned so that her back pressed against the wall. Hermione's stomach back flipped as he leant towards her.

"How much do you know?" he whispered urgently.

Hermione frowned at him.

"What do you mean? How much do I know about what?" she feigned ignorance.

" 'Mione don't play with me. How much do you know about Remus? What really happened today when he lost it?"

Unable to help herself she smirked "What's the matter Sirius? Are you jealous because one of your best friends kissed me?"

Sirius's eyes landed on her lips and he stared hungrily for a moment.

"Maybe I am. But that's not important right now. Did Remus just kiss you or did he tell you anything or do anything to hurt you?"

Smiling at the concern on Sirius's face Hermione lifted her hand to lay it tenderly against the side of Sirius's face and smoothed her thumb over the worry lines.

"Sirius, it's all ok. Remus wouldn't hurt me. And I'm sure that if he did, it wouldn't be on purpose. He didn't hurt me today." Biting her lip with indecision Hermione decided to throw caution to the wind. After all she was stuck here now, so she might as well start telling a few of the truths she knew.

Sirius's eyes searched her face for some clue and Hermione smiled at him gently.

"Sirius, stop worrying so much. I'm fine. But you need to go. Remus needs his friends." She whispered so softly that no one but the two of them would ever here her.

Sirius's eyes widened. "You know the truth don't you?"

"I'm not an idiot Sirius. I wasn't called the smartest witch of my age for nothing. So yes, I do know the truth. But it's a secret I'll take to the grave. Now go. The moon is already high." Hermione told him.

Sirius looked so shocked that he just stared at her with his mouth open. Feeling more courageous than ever Hermione leant forward and pressed a soft kiss to Sirius's cheek before slipping away from him and running up the stairs to her suite.

When Hermione reached her room and finally got inside she leant against the door, breathing hard from the excitement and terror of having kissed the cheek of the boy she had a crush on.

When she felt in control of herself again Hermione stood and crossed to the window. The rain still fell now, but the storm had passed. Slowly she opened her window. There was no sound but the rain for several long minutes, but as she listened harder Hermione felt her heart squeeze as she heard that bone chilling sound.

From somewhere in the night Hermione heard the werewolf howl it's anger and loneliness. Hoping that the boys would hurry down to their friend and relieve him from the pain and loneliness inflicted on him Hermione left the window open.

She smiled when she felt something playing around her ankles and looked down to see her adorable orange kitten rubbing against the legs of her jeans. Scooping him up Hermione carried him to the chair by the fair and sat down with him in her lap. She couldn't believe she had confessed to knowing that Remus was a werewolf and by proxy by knowing that his friends helped him through each month.

She'd been thinking all afternoon about how her presence here might affect the future she had known and wondered about the side effects. She really needed to speak to Dumbledore. Kissing Crookshanks on his furry head she set him to one side and got up to write him a letter.

_**Dear Professor Dumbledore.**_

_**I feel that you and I need to have a discussion about my situation. Would it be possible for us to meet at 3pm Sunday afternoon? I have several questions that I would like your opinion on. Hoping you are well, and my apologies for interrupting your evening. Thank you again, for everything.**_

_** Hermione Peverell.**_

With the letter written Hermione tapped it with her wand to roll it up and seal it and opened her mouth to call for her favourite house elf before realising that Dobby didn't work at the castle in this time. Hermione sighed sadly. This meant she would have to go to the owlery to send her letter.

Getting to her feet Hermione dug her black school cloak out of her trunk and wrapped it around herself. No doubt the snow on the stair in the owlery would chill the evening air and she had given Sirius his jacket back.

When she'd fastened the toggles she tucked her wand into her cloak pocket, along with her letter and pulled the hood up over her head.

The common room was deserted as she walked through and the Fat Lady was snoring in her frame when Hermione crept out of the portrait hole. The castle was cold and the wind that blew through many of the corridors chilled Hermione. She was wary as she made her way through the castle. The amount of magic contained within the castle's walls and the flow of magic from every witch and wizard often drew other magical creatures to it, and while most couldn't get into the castle, there were some that snuck in undetected and many of them crept out of their hidey holes at night. Not to mention that there would be prefects and teachers patrolling the castle, as well as that stinky old Mrs. Norris.

The silence of the castle as she walked had Hermione straining to hear even the smallest of sounds as she began to ascend to the stair of the owlery. Hermione lit her wand as she climbed, certain now that she wouldn't be caught by a teacher, and needing the light to make sure she didn't slip and fall.

As she reached the platform out in the snow that led back inside, the clouds overhead suddenly cleared the full moon illuminating the castle grounds and glistening off the lake.

Hermione caught her breath at the beauty.

Her eyes scanned the darkness when she heard the sound of a werewolf howling. Zeroing in on the sound Hermione's eyes found an amazing sight. Down by the lake the werewolf loped easily. And beside him ran a huge black dog, and a stag, silver in the moonlight. Hermione knew there would be a rat somewhere too, but she couldn't make it out in the darkness from this distance. She couldn't help smiling at her friends and she cringed when the werewolf lifted its head, nose testing the breeze.

Then those bright yellow eyes swivelled to fix on her at the top of the tower and the werewolf howled before it began to move. And it was running towards the tower of the owlery.

Hermione held her breath as he came close, ignoring the animals around him as he ran and Hermione realised she had just become the prey the werewolf wanted to hunt tonight. Hurrying to the top Hermione coaxed a school owl down and sent it off with her letter to professor Dumbledore.

As she slipped and ran down the stairs again Hermione saw the werewolf was even closer now and his eyes searched the tower for an entrance before flicking back to her. Hermione gulped at the feral gleam in his eyes before she tore back off down the stairs.

Some idiot in their planning of the castle had decided that while the owlery was part of the castle it should only be attached via walkways and rooved corridors rather than completely attached. Meaning that when she got to the corridor she would have to run across the short bridge between the owlery and the security of the rest of the castle.

Praying she wouldn't trip, Hermione flew out the door, running as fast as she could. And she screamed when she heard the howl of the beast in the tunnel with her. Paws thudded against the stone floor behind her, claws clicking as the beast pursued his prey and Hermione heard the padding and thudding of dog paws and stag hooves. The dog was barking madly and Hermione glanced over her shoulder as she ran to see the stag charge the werewolf, ramming into him from the side and smashing through the wooden panels of the tunnels walls.

The werewolf was thrown off course but undeterred in his attack, stopping only to swipe his claws at James before leaping back into the tunnel. Hermione looked down to see the huge black dog form of Sirius bounding along beside her. He was growling at her and Hermione pushed herself harder, running even fast than she thought she could. As she reached the castle entrance and skidded through it, pausing to slam it shut she saw Sirius skid around to face the charging werewolf. Seconds before the door slammed closed Hermione saw the werewolf's leaping form collide teeth first with Sirius's shoulder and chest.

The snarling and yelping that followed almost had Hermione throwing the door back open but when something slammed heavily against the door, followed by the sound of the fight getting quieter and further away Hermione realised that her friends must have managed to distract Remus and draw him away.

Panting as the adrenaline pumped through her body hormone took a moment to realise that she had almost died and that the only thing to stand between her and death had been Sirius Black.

Realising the commotion was probably drawing teachers, Hermione made a run for it, skidding around corners and running through the corridors until she could find the stairs before taking the flights three steps at a time as she ran for it. She was sure to land in massive amounts of trouble if any of her teachers caught her out of bed after hours, on the night of the full moon when they probably all knew about Remus's condition. She'd be in detention forever.

When she skidded to a stop in front of the Fat Lady, the portrait eyed her suspiciously.

"You know dear, if you followed the castle rules you wouldn't be in this mess." She said snidely, clearly disgruntled about being woken up.

Hermione gave her the passwords and clambered inside. Moving quickly she didn't stop until she was securely in her suite where she proceeded to flop onto her bed in an attempt to calm her racing heart and catch her breath.

That had been so close.

If not for Sirius Hermione would have been werewolf chow and she knew it. He'd saved her life. Because if Remus had caught her she either would have been killed and possibly eaten, or she would have been bitten and turned into a werewolf herself. In that moment Hermione realised something.

She had always thought it cute and sweet that James, Sirius and Pettigrew had become anigmagi to help their werewolf friend. But now she realised that it was also necessary. To be friends with a werewolf as they were, when he seemed to still be learning control, was no easy feat and Hermione wondered if he had ever turned on them like he had when he kissed her that morning.

If she was going to continue her friendship with the boys, which she certainly intended, she was going to have to dedicate herself to becoming an animagus too. For her own safety. Though if she did manage it, there was no way she was sharing that information with the boys unless she had to. Peter couldn't know. Not if he was still going to betray them.

As that thought rolled through her mind Hermione found herself wondering again what had driven Pettigrew to betray his friends as he had. She had always assumed that he merely betrayed them because when Voldemort found him as the Potter's secret keeper he had feared for his own life and valued it above that of his friends. And that when Sirius caught up with him, he once again chose the cowards way because he didn't want to die.

But Hermione had always wondered if maybe he might have died for them if he had known that they valued him more as a friend. If they had expected more of him. After all from what she had seen even just today, they tolerated him and maybe even liked him, but they didn't share the same closeness with him that they did with each other.

Getting to her feet Hermione searched her book shelf in the hopes of finding anything she could possibly find out about the animagus process and how one went about becoming one. Scanning the shelves Hermione picked up a book that explained the differences between Animagus and werewolf. She had read it in her own time, but perhaps there was something in here about becoming an Animagus.

Hermione was curled into her bed and half asleep when she heard it. Glancing around the room she saw that Crookshanks was curled up asleep by the fire. The sound caught her ear again, it sounded like scratching. Glancing towards her door Hermione sat up. The scratching sounded again and Hermione swung her legs out of bed. It was coming from her door. Pulling out her wand Hermione clutched it as she unlocked her door and pulled it open.

And she almost screamed at what she saw.

Sitting on the top step outside her room, bleeding profusely and looking half dead was a large black dog with a bag in his mouth.

"Oh, My God! Get in here. Quickly." Hermione commanded.

Sirius the dog lifted his head slowly to look at her and she could see that the movement hurt him, he seemed to take a deep breath and grit his teeth before he stood and limped into her room. Quickly Hermione vanished the trail of blood he had left on the stairs before locking the door tightly. When she turned around she watched the dog lay down in front of her fire on his side, before his shape blurred and he turned back into Sirius Black, the sixteen year old boy.

Hermione gasped as she looked at him. As it had always done the magic allowed his clothes to change shape with him, but she wasn't prepared for seeing Sirius like this.

His shirt was torn open and it dripped his blood, hanging off him raggedly. The entire front was torn and what lay beneath had tears forming in Hermione's eyes.

His chest was torn apart, deep gouges gushed blood from his right arm, the right side of his chest and across his stomach. But it was his left shoulder and the left side of his chest and neck that made her want to cry. Huge chunks of his flesh were missing and flaps of it hung off as raggedly as his shirt did. The skin had been torn into with a vengeance and Hermione could see the teeth marks on him.

"Oh Merlin Sirius!"

Hermione cried as she fell to her knees next to him. His arms were covered in scratches and several long gashes where the werewolf had gripped him tightly by the arms and proceeded to drag his claws through flesh. Sirius's eyes were closed as he fought to keep from groaning in pain. He lost the battle and the sound of agony that ripped from him shook Hermione to her core.

"The bag...'Mione... help?" He gasped and begged of her.

Reaching for the bag, Hermione upended it onto the floor and realised that he must have stopped at the hospital wing on his way to her. It held a bottle of essence of Dittany as well as bandages and gauze and padding and medical tape and Burlap essence and Pepper Up potion.

"Sirius your shirt is ruined and I need to get it out of the way. I'm going to vanish it ok? Just hold still and bite down on this. I don't want you to bite your tongue off." Hermione told him as she pushed a roll of bandage into his open mouth. Working quickly Hermione vanished his t-shirt and set to work on his wounds. The blood pouring from them scared her and she knew all too well that he could die from blood loss if she didn't hurry.

Grabbing the Dittany bottle she unscrewed the lid.

"Ok, Sirius this is going to sting." Hermione warned him even as she dropped the first splash of dittany against his ravaged flesh. Sirius groaned in agony and Hermione winced as she kept dripping the droplets onto his wounds until the skin was pulled taut, red and angry even as it knitted itself back together.

When she had sealed all of the missing chunks and reconnected the flaps of skin hanging off him Hermione put down the dittany bottle.

Reaching for the Burlap essence Hermione warned him that it would sting as it disinfected the scratches and gouges. Sirius didn't seem to hear her and he bit down hard on the bandage in his mouth.

Working quickly Hermione swiped each gouge and gash and scratch with the burlap essence. He groaned again. As soon as they were cleaned she pressed thick pads of gauze to the gouges and gashes that were still oozing blood before wrapping the ones on his arms in thick bandages.

"Sirius, I know it really hurts, but I need you to sit up for me so I can do the rest. Be careful, the dittany only seals the top layers of skin so you won't bleed out. The rest has to heal naturally. Don't tear it. I need to wrap you in padding and gauze and bandages."

Slowly, grimacing the entire time, Sirius sat up, his eyes clenched shut and his mouth biting down hard on the bandage. His wounds that couldn't seal with dittany, like the gouges on his abs, began bleeding heavier but Hermione packed gauze and padding against the wound before wrapping bandages around and around and around his waist and his chest and shoulders until almost his entire torso was wrapped up like he was a mummy.

"I'm so sorry Sirius." She whispered when she was finished.

Very slowly, Sirius opened his blue eyes to look at her. His gaze told her how much it still hurt. But he opened his mouth and spat out the bandage he had been clenching in his teeth.

" 'Mione..." he whispered softly.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't want you to get hurt. You shouldn't have saved me." Hermione said miserably. Her hands were covered in his blood from where she had mopped it up.

"Mione, promise me... Promise me you'll never go outside like that on the full moon... ever again. Promise!"

His blue eyes bored into her brown ones and Hermione gulped, nodding her head.

"I'm sorry." She whispered miserably, hanging her head in disgrace.

Sirius reached out slowly and slid his hand across her cheek, cupping it and tilting her head back up to look at him.

"Thank you." He murmured. "I wasn't sure you knew everything, whether you knew about the rest of us or just about Moony. But I couldn't go to the nurse, she'd ask too many questions. The only person I could think of to help me was you. Thank you. You saved my life." Sirius whispered.

Sliding his hand around into her hair Sirius pulled Hermione towards him until he could press his lips against her forehead.

"You saved my life first" she whispered back "You nearly died saving my life."

Sirius swayed a little and Hermione glanced at his face noticing he looked dizzy and disoriented. "Come on sweetie, let's get you up, you need to rest and my floor isn't comfortable." Hermione said gently.

Sliding his arm around her shoulders and wrapping hers around his back Hermione stood, with him helping, and got him to his feet.

"Come on Sirius, just over here. Then you can rest." Hermione told him as he swayed from side to side, leading him towards her bed. As she sat him on the bed Hermione noticed that his jeans were covered in dirt and blood and wet from the rain and the snow.

"Um Sirius?" Hermione said. He was taking deep breaths and kept shaking his head gently, trying to clear it. "Sirius sweetie, are you wearing any underwear?"

Hermione blushed when the black haired boy smirked at her, his eyes unfocused.

"Maybe you'll have to find that out for yourself." He slurred at her. His body was trying to shut down so he could heal and he was still a cheeky flirt.

"You cannot sleep in those jeans so I really hope you are. Otherwise things will be very awkward when you wake up tomorrow." Hermione told him sternly as she reached for the zipper and button that held his jeans on. Once they were undone, Hermione squatted and tugged his shoes off his feet, then his wet socks, before dragging his wet and dirty jeans down his legs.

When she finally managed to get them off him she was relieved to see that he was wearing boxer briefs. Glancing up at his face Hermione realised he had flopped back on her bed.

"Oh Sirius, what am I going to do with you?" She asked him, leaning over him as she tried to arrange him so that she could cover him in the blanket and so that she'd be able to sleep in her bed as well. Climbing into bed beside him, Hermione brushed his hair back from his face. His eyes fluttered open at her touch when she pulled the covers up and tucked his head onto her spare pillow.

He smiled at her, slowly bringing his ravaged left arm up to touch her cheek. When he touched her he sighed softly

"Merlin you're beautiful Hermione."


	7. Anything for You

**A/N: OH MY GOD ANOTHER CHAPTER UPLOADED ON THE SAME DAY! WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO! xx-Kitten. =)**

Chapter 7: Anything for You.

Hermione jerked awake suddenly, feeling groggy and disoriented and like something was touching her. Lifting her head she glanced at her clock and saw that it was early morning, only just seven, and she groaned when she remembered it was Sunday. Dropping her head back down in the hopes of falling back to sleep Hermione froze when she heard a snort.

Hermione's head flew up again, this time searching for the source of the sound and she almost screamed when she realised it had come from the boy whose chest she had been sleeping on. Hermione stared at the sleepy face of Sirius Black from far closer than she expected. Taking quick assessment of her situation Hermione realised that she was in her bed, with her leg wrapped around Sirius Black's legs, her arm was thrown across his heavily bandaged chest and until moments ago she had been sleeping on his chest too.

Where her leg was across him, she could feel her bare skin rubbing against his because she wore shorts to bed and he wore only underwear. His arm also seemed to be wrapped around her back, in spite of his injuries and he was playing with her hair.

"Sirius?" Hermione murmured uncertainly. Maybe she was dreaming.

"Morning sleepy head." He whispered, grinning at her adorably.

"Erm... how are you?" Hermione asked, attempting to remove her leg and arm from across him and finding that his other hand rested intimately against her bare thigh, holding her there.

"I'm ok. A little sore, but it wasn't the first thing I noticed when I woke up this morning."

"Oh?"

"Yes, you see the first thing I noticed this morning was that I somehow managed to wake up with a beautiful young woman asleep on my chest. Then I noticed that my chest and everything else was hurting. And then I noticed that my head seems to be filled with the scent of rosewater and wildflowers and lilac. Which all happen to be smells that I enjoy immensely. Imagine my pleasure when I realised that you smell like those things." Sirius said softly.

"Um... ok, but how are your injuries? I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to crawl all over you. I promise that when I fell asleep I was on my side of the bed and my head was on my pillow, rather than on you." Hermione said, blushing.

"You're adorable when you blush like that." Sirius murmured.

Hermione tried not to smile, and tried to ignore the fact that her tummy had clearly been practising and extending its gymnastics routine because it was fluttering wildly at the scent of fresh grass and leather and diesel that filled her nose. Sirius's blue eyes watched her warmly.

"So do you suppose you could tell me how it is that I came to be sleeping in your bed with you 'Mione?" Sirius asked her gently when Hermione just watched him warily.

"You don't remember?" Hermione asked him, looking concerned.

"I remember I came to find you in the hopes that you would be able to fix me well enough that I could heal without having to see the medi-witch, and I remember you trying to torture me by stuffing things into my mouth and making me hurt even more that I already did. But after that I don't remember much. Though I did notice that I'm not wearing pants." Sirius said, quirking one eyebrow with a suggestive smirk.

"Oh you're terrible!" Hermione said, smiling in spite of herself.

"You took advantage of me in my weakened state didn't you 'Mione?" Sirius teased

"No! I didn't. But you were practically delirious because of the blood loss and the pain and your body was trying to black out so that you could rest in an attempt to heal. There was no way I was going to be able to get you back to your dormitory, especially considering that the stairs will turn into a bucking slide if you try to walk down them when you're not a dog. And after bandaging you up I wasn't going to let you transform and tear everything open again. And my floor is really uncomfortable. So I helped you over here and took your jeans off because they are covered in dirt and blood and were soaking wet. By the time I got them off you, you were practically passed out. Though you did tell me I was beautiful just before you passed out."

Sirius chuckled. "Well clearly the delirious version of me not only has impeccable taste, but tells the truth unabashedly."

Hermione blushed again.

"You saved my life." She murmured to him, letting her head lower back down until it rested against his chest again. The gravity of what he had done for hitting her full force now that he was healing and no longer bleeding to death.

"Hurt like hell too." Sirius said "But definitely worth it. What were you doing in the owlery in the middle of the night on a full moon Hermione?"

"I had to send a letter. And I thought that you would all be in Hogsmede or something, not running around on the grounds. By the time I spotted you it was too late. Are you ok Sirius? Really?"

Sirius tilted his head so he could look her in the eye while she laid on his chest.

"This side of my torso hurts like hell. The other side too, though not as much. I feel like a breathing bruise." He told her honestly "But I'll live thanks to you 'Mione."

"Merlin you didn't look like it last night. You're going to have massive scarring." Hermione told him softly, letting the feeling of horror roll through her again as she relived the entire night in her mind.

"That bad huh?"

"Oh Sirius it was awful. I saw the attack, you know. Moments before that door slammed shut I saw Remus land on you, tearing into you, ripping at you. You're so lucky that your body is proportioned differently as a dog, otherwise you'd have been dead right then. I almost opened the door again so I could drag you to safety. But then there was this huge thud against the door. I sort of assumed James had charged Remus again to save you. And when you showed up here! We should go back through the castle. The house elves won't have cleaned up your blood trail and it leads all the way here. I only vanished it on the stairs before I came in to fix you."

"How bad was it?" Sirius asked her in a low voice "Am I horribly disfigured now?"

Hermione bit her lip. Lifting her head and pulling away from him she climbed out of bed and looked down at him.

"Can you stand?" she whispered softly.

Sirius looked worried by that. Swinging his legs out of her bed and wincing and gasping as he tried to sit up, Hermione gasped. His back was turned to her and the small sections that weren't covered with bandages were black with bruises.

"Is it that bad?" He murmured to her. He kept his back to her but very slowly he got to his feet.

"Wait, sit back down. You should see for yourself, and I need to check to make sure your healing anyway." Hermione instructed him, hurrying around to his side of the bed, acutely aware of the fact that he wore only boxers. Sirius sank back down onto the bed and watched her carefully as Hermione began to unwrap the bandages from around him body. She piled them in a heap on the floor at her feet. And the more bandages she removed the harder she bit her lip.

"Hermione...?" Sirius asked when he saw a tear trickle out of the corner of her eyes and down her cheek.

"How can you even stand it?" Hermione breathed thickly.

"How bad is it Hermione?" Sirius asked sternly.

"Come see for yourself." Hermione whispered. Holding her hand out for Sirius to take she helped him to his feet, careful not to pull his arm too hard for fear that the deep gouges would spilt their scabs open. Very slowly, knowing it hurt him to walk, Hermione led him over to her full length mirror and turned to watch his face as he assessed the damage to his body.

The entirety of his torso was black and blue with bruises and the gouges across his arms and stomach were all at least nine inches long and most were at least an inch deep. When they healed properly they would probably stay indented because of the missing flesh. The left side of his chest and his shoulder were a mess. In three spots there were whole chunks of flesh missing, some so deep that Hermione had been able to see bone when she cleared away the blood. All of the missing chucks were connected by bites and tears in his skin were Hermione assumed Remus had latched onto him and flung him around, shaking madly, the flesh tearing from the opposing forces of gravity, inertia and the destruction of Remus's jaws.

The left side of his chest was one huge wound that spanned from halfway up his neck to the bottom of his ribs. And it was messy, the combination of missing chunks, tears, gouges, and bite marks made it lumpy and angry red. Because of the dittany there was no scab, but the scar was shiny and red and angry. In the areas where the skin was only torn the scar was just thick lines but the chunks were ragged and dragged the skin down to the bone.

Hermione watched Sirius clench his jaw as he assessed the damage to his body. He had lots of little scratches down his arms as well as five deep claw marks than ran from his deltoid in his shoulders all the way down to midway down his forearms on both arms. He also had three gouged claw marks that ran diagonally from beneath his right clavicle across his chest and joined up to the ugly scar tissue at the base of his ribs on the left side. The five clawed gouges on his stomach began at the base of his ribs on the right side and ran straight down to the line of his boxers. He also had two deep gouges that ran down his left side, they started half way up his ribs and stopped at his hip bone, which had been exposed down to the bone. They were particularly deep and Hermione didn't know how he hadn't damaged any of his internal organs.

Hermione's eyes filled with tears as she watched Sirius scan the damage. It looked even worse because of the bruising. But even when those faded, the scars on his body from this attack would remain visible for the rest of his life.

"Well basically I look like I was mauled by a werewolf." Sirius said, trying to smile "Are these the only ones?" he whispered, lifting hand to trail his fingers lightly over the gouges and the scars.

"Aren't these enough?" Hermione whispered as the tears escaped her eyes and fell down her cheeks.

"Hey, don't cry 'Mione. Why are you crying? It's not that bad." Sirius said softly, taking her hand and pulling her towards him until he could hug her very gently. Carefully Hermione wrapped her arms around Sirius's waist.

"I'm so sorry Sirius. If it hadn't been for me this wouldn't have happened. You're going to have these scares forever and it's all my fault. You did it for me and now you're covered in scars and in so much pain and I'm so, so sorry." Hermione babbled as the tears flowed down her cheeks.

"It wasn't just for you 'Mione. Of course I did it to save you, but I did it for Remus too. He'd never forgive himself if he ever infected someone else with his curse and that attack last night would have killed you 'Mione. Remus would never forgive himself and James and Pete and I could never forgive ourselves if we put him through that. He relies on us to make sure he never hurts anyone when we sneak him out of the Shrieking Shack to keep him from hurting himself. It wasn't just for you ok. And even if I am scarred for life, I'd prefer it this way to the alternatives. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat." Sirius told her, rubbing his hand gently against her back.

"But if I'd never been out there none of it would have happened." Hermione said miserably.

"Hermione, look at me." Sirius said "Don't give me 'what ifs' ok? You can't change the past. You can only effect the future."

Sirius let go of Hermione and slowly walked back across the room until he could sink back down onto the bed. He was pale and sweating from the exertion of walking just that little way with so much blood lost and Hermione suddenly remember the Pepper Up potion in the bag of supplies he'd brought with him.

"Sirius... don't lie down yet. I need to wrap you back up in bandages. If you move to quickly or even just the wrong way those gouges will tear open again. And then I think you need more sleep. Drink this while I wrap you up again ok?" Hermione said, handing him the potion. It was steaming slightly and he didn't look too pleased by the idea but he dutifully took it from her and took a big swig from it.

Holding his arms out away from his body Hermione dabbed at each wound with burlap essence to keep out infection before swiping a little bit of dittany across them. They were already sealed by the scabs, but the small amount of dittany would allow them to heal faster. Sirius wriggled and grumbled as she did each one, clearly displeased by the stinging but Hermione quickly wrapped each one, being careful not to tear the gouges.

Very gently she ran her fingers across the ugly scar on his chest, watching his face to see if it caused him any pain. He winced a little when she touched the spots where chunks of his skin were permanently missing, but for the rest he didn't cringe. Smearing a little bit of dittany over the painful spots Hermione hoped that the skin would soak it up and begin to repair the damaged muscles and tissue beneath the surface.

"Sirius, thank you. Thank you for throwing yourself in front of him. Thank you for saving me." Hermione said when she was finished.

Sirius laid back down in her bed and pulled the covers up after she shook her head when he patted the spot beside him. He closed his eyes when Hermione smoothed his long hair back away from his face.

"I'd do it again you know..." he murmured, almost asleep again "Even if the werewolf wasn't Remus, I'd still throw myself between it and you..." he whispered before he began to snore very softly.


	8. Rivers Of Time

**A/n/; Happy New Year my for my lateness of posting bt i was busy working on my manuscript. Got the first chapetr submitted to a company now. =) But i had my Tummy surgery the other day so i'm bed bound and did some fanfic writing for y'all. =) Hope you love it. Let me know ok. Much Love xx-Kitten.**

Chapter 8: Rivers of Time.

While Sirius slept Hermione set about trying to finish her essay but concentration seemed to escape her when her brain kept reminding her that there was an injured and very handsome boy asleep in her bed. In spite of the fact that there were rules against boys being in the girls dormitories. And there was a part of her that still felt very strongly about the need to uphold rules. At east that was the reason Hermione told herself that she was distracted, refusing to admit to herself that she had woken up feeling all snuggly and warm and special with Sirius playing with her hair.

In the hopes of distracting herself, Hermione put down her quill and walked to the bed, testing Sirius's temperature with the back of her hand against her forehead. When she'd satisfied herself that he wasn't in any immediate danger in spite of his fitful sleeping, Hermione dressed herself for the day and left the room.

Keeping her eyes peeled as she descended the stairs Hermione began to wonder if someone else had cleaned up the trail of blood because she couldn't see even a spot of it. Of course when she reached the common room Hermione couldn't see anything at all because she was immediately pounced on by something. Something with big strong hands and black hair that apparently felt the need to try dragging her off her feet in an attempt to get her to the armchairs by the fire of the common room.

"Where is he?" the voice of James Potter demanded of Hermione as he pushed her down into a chair and loomed over her. "Is he ok? He made it back to you right?"

"James would you calm down?" Hermione said sternly, not at all pleased about being manhandled. "Sirius is in my room, in bed resting, as he has been all night. I patched him up as best as I could, and I think he'll be ok. Except for massive amounts of scarring. But he's ok. Really. Just tired from the healing his body is doing and the blood loss."

James crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at Hermione for a moment longer.

"He's ok? You fixed him?" He asked her.

"I tried to. I mean, he showed up at my door sitting in a pool of his own blood, with a bag of medical stuff in his mouth. I let him in and he transformed and I used the stuff he bought to fix him up as best I could, given the circumstances and the fact that he'd been savagely attacked by a damned werewolf. He'll be fine. He woke up this morning and he's seen the damage. I put some more dittany and Murtlap essence on him and wrapped him in bandages again and gave him some pepper up potion and then put him back to bed. He was sleeping when I came down here. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm supposed to meet professor Dumbledore for lunch and I don't want to be late." Hermione said, before pushing past James and escaping out the portrait hole.

It would be a truly inconvenient time to try and explain to the Marauders how it was that she knew Remus was a werewolf, and how she knew that the three others had become animagi to help him with his condition, and that she knew exactly what their animal forms were. Last night she had managed to avoid explaining to Sirius by urging him to hurry to help their friend, and then by the fact that he had practically passed out from blood loss and pain. James was a different story, because Hermione really didn't have a legitimate lie to tell her knew friends how it was that she knew things they hadn't shared with anyone but each other.

What she really needed was a long discussion with professor Dumbledore about everything. Especially about whether or not she truly was to be stuck in this time for the rest of her life. Because if that was the case then she really needed answers to the way her choices here would affect the future she had known.

When she reached the entrance to Professor Dumbledore's office Hermione stopped and straightened her skirt. Beneath them she wore several layers of stockings and tights to fight off the chill of the castle as winter settled upon the grounds of Hogwarts. It was almost Christmas time, so the snow was heavy on the ground and the winds that howled through the castle corridors stole one's breath with their cold bite. Her black school cloak hung around her shoulders, settled neatly over her pink woollen sweater. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves and to control the slight increase in her heart rate from the brisk walk Hermione exhaled slowly before knocking politely on the door.

"Come in?" Professor Dumbledore's voice called.

Moving quickly Hermione turned the brass door knob to enter the office.

"Ah, Hermione my dear. Good afternoon." Professor Dumbledore said. Hermione's eyes searched the office until they landed on the professor where he sat at his desk. He hadn't looked up from the letter he was writing, and Hermione smiled to know that the professor had always been as magnificent in his magical abilities as he was in the time that she had known him.

"Good afternoon Professor." Hermione greeted him warmly "I'm not early am I?"

"Not at all. I merely became so engrossed in my letter that I have lost track of the time. Have a seat my dear, and by all means pour some tea. I'll be with you in just a moment."

Hermione did as she was asked, sitting in one of the squashy purple chairs at the small table. A large red teapot sat on top of the table, and Hermione lifted the lid to find it was filled with cold water. Tapping it with her wand Hermione boiled the water before adding tealeaves to the pot to steep. She arranged the matching crockery accordingly while she waited quietly for Dumbledore to finish his letter.

"Now then" Dumbledore said, turning to Hermione with a smile as he tapped the parchment and it rolled up and tied a neat ribbon around itself. "You're letter last night was a small surprise my dear. Is everything alright?" he asked as he shuffled over to the table with her and waved his wand to pour them both some tea.

"Yes. I just had some questions about everything." Hermione said, smiling gently as she sipped her tea. "I was wondering if you had any more news about whether or not I will ever be able to return to my own time?"

Dumbledore watched Hermione over the top of his half-moon spectacles for several long moments as he too sipped from his tea cup.

"I'm afraid not my dear. At least not at this stage. You mentioned that you had some type of time meddling device that you had used in your own time. I can only assume based on that, that at some stage during the next twenty years a way might become available for you to be able to return to your own time. However, I'm sure you're aware that meddling with time is a very dangerous business. Not just in instances where one might find themselves foisted into the past or the future like you were, but also other problems, like spotting another you in the same room with you and possibly going mad from it. A very dangerous business indeed. I'm afraid, my dear, that you will probably reach adulthood before such a device is invented that could carry you back to your own time. And I suspect that even when that happens, it would be unwise for you to return to your time, as the years you will have spent her may suddenly heap upon you and cause you unthinkable health issues."

Hermione nodded slowly. She had expected such an answer and she had considered that even if there were a way to send her home, it may very well kill her to even try it.

"Professor…" Hermione began, uncertain how much information she should share of the future. "My presence here in this time, how might this affect the future I knew?"

"Well no one can really say, Hermione. Every decision any of us makes affects the future and the paths we take into that future. For example, let's say that the version of me you knew from the future was an eccentric old fool with a long white beard. At the present time I have been steadily growing my beard and have intended to continue doing so. However, if I choose today to cut it off and return to the arms my old enemy the razor, then obviously I might not have such a long beard or even a beard at all in the future."

"Professor, the time I knew was fraught with peril from a threat I know we face here in this time. Many of my peers and my friends in this time played important roles within the shaping of the future I knew. How will my presence here and my interference with the lives they had led affect the future? Or more importantly can I shape my decisions and my interference here to achieve a better outcome for the future than the one I knew?"

Dumbledore smiled as Hermione spoke.

"I must admit my dear, I'm very curious about the future you knew. But yes, any decision any person makes can affect the way the future turns out."

Hermione though for a moment as she glanced at Fawkes the phoenix on his perch where he watched the conversation intelligently.

"It's just that…. Well, there are many things in the future that I know of that may still come to be, unless I interfere with them sir. And it's undeniably tempting to meddle with that future. I suppose I'm looking for your permission to meddle." Hermione said, smiling self-deprecatingly.

"Well, Hermione. In that regard it's not really my place to provide you permission, or to deny it. It seems to me that you are incredibly smart and level-headed. You think things through before you act. If there are indeed circumstances that you can change for the better, especially if they affect the greater good, then you ought to proceed with caution, but proceed nonetheless. Keep in mind Hermione, every decision we make will set into motion certain circumstances and events as a direct result of the choices each of us make.

For example, if I were to stand in the forest and idly toss a rock, it might inadvertently strike a centaur foal. That in turn might be harmful enough for the foal to die from the injury. The death of the centaur foal may then antagonize the centaur herds within the Forbidden forest and they might rise up and storm the castle grounds in retaliation, possibly harming or killing a student. As a result the herd of centaur would probably be hunted down by the Ministry of Magic because the incident had occurred on school grounds, which could spark a full blown war between wizards and Centaurs."

Hermione closed her eyes as she pictured such a horrific outcome from just the tiny moment of poor decision making.

"I understand Professor. Even the tiniest of actions can have catastrophic repercussions. Professor, I have more questions. And I understand that some of them might make you uncomfortable to be discussing such topics with a student, but you must understand that in my own time these topics practically ruled my life. Also, I feel I must divulge some of the information I know from the future I lived in. Do you mind if I proceed?"

Professor Dumbledore's eyes seemed to twinkle even brighter at the prospect of learning secrets from a possible future.

"Within my time, the threat of Lord Voldemort hangs heavily over the wizarding community." Hermione said softly.

For just a moment shock registered on Professor Dumbledore's face before he concealed it.

"I see. In this time I'm sure you are aware from your history that Tom is still gathering his evil forces. As of yet his power is not at its full potential. I had hoped that the brand new order I have formed to combat that darkness would succeed in putting an end to the violence and destruction.

Hermione watched her professor intently. In her own time she had held her headmaster in the highest regard because of his incredible achievements and because Albus Dumbledore was the only wizard Voldemort had ever feared, but as she watched him now Hermione suddenly realised that Dumbledore wasn't the only one You-Know-Who feared. While he may have always written it off as anger and hatred and scorn, Voldemort feared Harry Potter to an extent.

"Professor, the work of the Order of the Phoenix is beyond measure. I myself was a member, though I'm still underage. So were Harry and Ron. But somehow it seemed no matter how many times we beat him back, Voldemort just kept on coming." Hermione paused at Dumbledore's expression. "I suppose I should start at the beginning. You see, a woman named Sybil Trelawney will one day recite a prophecy that will claim a child to be born who will have to the power to end Voldemort. He will be a child born in July, and both his parents will suffer greatly at the hands of Voldemort. This prophecy will get back to the dark side and Voldemort will realise there will be two choices. Both boys, my age. One of whom will be named Harry Potter."

Hermione paused to allow the professor a moment to soak in the information.

"Harry will be the son of James Potter and Lily Evans. And they will both die at Voldemort's hand as they try to protect Harry, after the location of their hideout is revealed by a traitor. One I hope I can fix. However, should the day ever come when James and Lily must go into hiding, no matter the arguments presented to you, please never ever allow Peter Pettigrew to become the Potter's Secret Keeper. Do it yourself professor. Or if I'm here, place that trust in me. Because Pettigrew ill betray James to save his own worthless hide."

Hermione said, her eyes flaring with anger. She had always felt anger and hatred of the man who could do such a thing, leaving Harry orphaned. But now she knew James and Lily and Sirius and Remus, and she felt even more anger that he would betray people they both loved.

"Hermione?" Professor Dumbledore's voice prodded softly and Hermione refocused her eyes on his face. "I give you my word I will not allow him the chance."

Hermione nodded. She was stuck in this time now. As she took another sip of her tea Hermione squared her shoulders. This was her time now. This was where her life would unfold. And Hermione would see to it that the people she loved so dearly from her original time would never know suffering as they had. Even if she had to die in the attempt, Hermione would not allow that future to unfold again.

"Professor, the most important thing I learned in my time, from you, was that love is the strongest and oldest form of magic in the world. The future I knew held some promise. Voldemort was destroyed when Lily Potter sacrificed herself to save her only son. Her sacrifice allowed the Killing Curse Voldemort aimed at Harry Potter to backfire. Killing him and ending his reign of darkness for more than a decade."

Dumbledore looked pleased.

"However, Voldemort's evil can't be erased to easily. His thirst for immortality is the true evil within him and the evil he commits to achieve it is beyond imagining. Somehow, he didn't simply die when his curse backfired. He returned in my first year of Hogwarts, possessing, or sharing a body with a young wizard Quirinus Quirrell who was a professor here. That year he drank unicorn blood to sustain himself as he searched for the Philosophers Stone. In second year he once again returned, in spite of being killed by Harry Potter again, this time possessing a young witch, Ginny Weasley through the use of an old diary. That year he opened the chamber of secrets again and many students were petrified by the Basilisk that lives within the Chamber. But Harry stabbed the diary with a fang from the Basilisk and Voldemort once again seemed to die."

Dumbledore frowned now. Clearly uncertain that he believed Hermione's tale.

"I know it sounds unbelievable sir, but it's the truth. And there's more." Hermione paused for breath. "In our fourth year Voldemort regains a human body of his own without the need to possess anyone. I don't understand the magic behind it, though Harry told me something about 'bone of the father, flesh of the servant and blood of the enemy' from there his reign takes hold again as he tries time and again to murder Harry Potter. Hundreds were dying by the time I was shot back in time to here. And the Dementors of Azkaban are on his side. Perhaps you can think of how he managed to return after being killed three or four times by Harry, but I don't understand it."

Hermione concluded, slumping back in her squashy purple chair.

"I fear I know not the reasons for such things either my dear, but there are magic's far darker than I have delved into. I will research how this is achieved. Because I will end Tom's foolish quest for power." Dumbledore vowed sinisterly. Hermione glanced at the professor and found him brimming with anger.

"Albus…"Hermione began tentatively, testing the name. He had always been her professor and her elder and a man who deserved her respect but right now she hoped for him to view her as an equal. "I will do whatever I have to in order to keep the future I just described from becoming a reality. I may not have the same protection as Harry had in his blood, but I have the courage to save the people I love. And if I can save Harry from being orphaned, save James and Lily and Sirius from the fates that befall them at the hands of evil, I will do it. I will do anything." Hermione vowed.

"Anything Hermione?" Dumbledore clarified softly, watching her with what seemed an almost saddened expression in his blue eyes.

"I understand that the story of the Hero within literature demands that the Hero can only be such if he retains his humanity and his compassion and respect for all life. I'm no hero professor. If it comes to it that I myself must be the one to wield the Killing Curse at this monster, for the good of the many, I have no qualms about it. And I assure you professor, if and when I utter the words of an Unforgivable, I will mean it." Hermione told him sternly.

Dumbledore looked sombre.

"It would seem that you're mishap with time is of importance my dear. It is true that a hero ought to remain compassionate and true to his soul by not killing, but it always baffled me that Good tries to win the battle against Bad without playing by Evil's rules. Stunning can only last so long and yet Death is permanent. I read somewhere that bad will always triumph over good because Bad has the advantage of not caring for the lives it costs to win. The trouble with the good side is we seem to believe that we can still win without making certain sacrifices."

Dumbledore mused softly.

"When I was young and foolish I believed such things as well, that the greater good must be sacrificed to, but sometimes my dear, the sacrifice asked of us is too great. Make sure you realise that while a sacrifice of the soul might seem easy, often the sacrifice is demanded of you through someone you love."

Hermione thought for a moment on his proclamation. It was true that if she had to she would sacrifice her own life, her own soul, to end the evil of Voldemort before it could really start. But for just a moment the faces of the people she loved flashed in her mind an Hermione was surprised to learn that the film roll of faces had grown in length as faces of James and Lily and Remus and Sirius rolled by along with Ron and Harry and Ginny and the Weasley's and her parents and Crookshanks.

"You see my dear, sometimes it might not be so easy to win against evil through sacrifice. Because the good people of the world are often blessed with that ever powerful magic of knowing love and of caring for others beyond ourselves."

Hermione nodded slowly.

"Do you have any other questions Hermione? Perhaps of a lighter nature. I feel that for now the heavy topics have taken up enough of our time together." Dumbledore said as he waved his wand lazily over their plates and several warm fresh cinnamon rolls appeared from the kitchens.

"Actually I do. I understand that you're primary subject is Transfiguration. I was wondering if you could teach me about Animagi." Hermione said before picking up a cinnamon roll and taking a bite, enjoying the way the sugar coated her fingers and the warm sweet scent filled her nostrils while the taste exploded on her tongue.

"Ah I see. You truly are a student after my own heart Hermione Granger." Dumbledore told her. His eyes twinkling happily over his half-moon spectacles. "Are you merely interested in the form of magic or do you wish to achieve your own Animagus form my dear?"

"Well, I hope to one day achieve animagi. In my own tie I often day dreamed of it, but being part of the order and constantly working by Harry's side meant I never really had the time. But I live in this time now. Where I can only live the life of a regular Hogwarts student, albeit one from the 90s and with far more knowledge about the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters than a sixteen year old should ever have. I would like to study the things I never seemed to have time for in my old life." Hermione said, for once allowing herself to dream about all the things she might achieve in a life where she didn't have to be Harry Potter's smart friend, where her life wasn't about saving the world.

"Well, I'm sure you're aware that if you want to become an Animagus you must register with the Ministry of Magic, but I think first you ought to try out the magic and study the form before we rush into registering you. There are some witches and wizards who simply can't achieve the magic and you are still young." Dumbledore said "Now let me see, yes I think this will be useful to you, oh and this text has lots of information too. And these you will have to borrow from the library, I'll sign this piece of paper for you so that Madame Pince won't stop you. These books belong in the restricted section after all."

Hermione took the books and paper Dumbledore handed her, smiling that her professor seemed so enthusiastic about her choice.

Almost immediately she opened one and began to read, before remembering that she was still in Dumbledore's office. Blushing, Hermione closed the book gently and found Dumbledore had retaken his seat and watched her with an amused and pleased expression on his face.

"It heartens me to meet students like you Hermione. Many times as I teach my classes I fear that the student mind is too preoccupied with raging teenage hormones and issues and general boredom as far as learning is concerned. But every time I begin to think that perhaps students aren't as interested in education or as dedicated to the absorption of knowledge, a student like you will come along. One who is brave and strong and incredibly smart and seems to thirst for knowledge with a vengeance and passion that I haven't seen since my own school days."

Hermione smiled gently even as she blushed.

"I'm not the only one professor. In my year here there are many of us, many of whom are incredibly clever yet manage to make it look effortless, James and Sirius are prime examples." She told him.

Dumbledore beamed. "I'm pleased you seem to have settled in over this week my dear, in spite of the shock and loss you must feel. You've made some friends here?" he asked softly.

For just a moment Hermione felt her heart squeeze a little at the pain of missing Harry and Ron and Ginny, and Dumbledore, who had been her only lifeline here and had somehow managed to make her feel like they really were family.

"I have, James and Sirius and Remus have been just wonderful, and James looks so much like Harry that at times it's almost like being home. And Lily is warming up to me a little now that she has realised I'm not trying to steal James's affection away. I think we might even become better friends over the next week or so because she's incredibly confused about James now that he's stopped fixating on her so intensely." Hermione said happily.

"And what of Christmas my dear, it's just three weeks away. Do you have any plans with your new friends or will you be remaining here for the holidays, the school is open of course and many of the teachers remain over the break, you are of course welcome to share Christmas morning with me. After all, what else are Godfather's for?"

"Thank you so much for everything you've done for me. I don't really have any plans at this stage, I suppose I'll just be staying here unless one of my friends asks me to visit, since I have nowhere else to go." Hermione said "Thank you for making sure I had everything I need, and for letting me stay here and for giving me money and everything. I don't know what I would've done otherwise."

"Oh now my dear, don't mention it. I always wondered what it would be like to have children and grandchildren and God children of my own. Sadly I never managed them. I feel blessed that you trusted me so much in your own time that you sought me out upon your arrival. Having you in my life is like having the daughter I always wanted. So you ought to stop thanking me so much, you've changed my life incredibly and I'm very happy about it. Also, I have some things for you."

Hermione's eyes filled with tears at Dumbledore's words and as he got to his feet and strode across the room she felt them spill over onto her cheeks. In her own time Hermione had always felt a little cut off from her family because she was a witch while her parents were muggles. They didn't understand her magical life, and while the Weasley's welcomed her, she had always felt more like a guest than anything else. Dumbledore's words made her feel like he really was family, like he truly cared for her and was happy to have her as a part of his life.

"Oh my dear please don't cry." He said shocked when he turned back to her carrying several large wrapped packages. "Oh I do hope you're the type who cheers up when given gifts." He fussed as he sat the packages on the table and pulled Hermione to her feet, pulling her into a gentle embrace.

"I'm… I'm Sorry" she hiccupped as she tried to pull her emotions back in. "I just never had anyone who made me feel like I was really family other than Harry, and then I was more like a sister than anything else. It's nice to be cared about and worried about and to know that someone more mature and responsible and grown-up than me is looking after me." Hermione sobbed softly as Albus rubbed her back gently, comforting her in the way Hermione remembered her grandfather doing when she was a small child.

When she finally pulled her emotions back in Hermione stepped back from professor Dumbledore.

"Thank you again." She whispered "But I should be going I suppose. I have an essay to finish."

"It's always refreshing to find a student who does their homework on the weekends before Sunday midnight. But before you go, I got these things for you."

Dumbledore waved his hand towards the three packages on the table.

"I know you said you only wanted to get the few things that you needed while we were in London last week, but the few things you bought for yourself simply aren't enough to make up a life, even a life spent at a boarding school. You said yourself that this was the time you dwell in now, and I truthfully believe you will probably spend the rest of your life in this time, rather than leaping back to your own. I ordered you a few things that every young witch should have in her possession." Dumbledore said.

Hermione smiled at him. It was very kind of him to once again spend money on her.

As he handed her the first package Hermione pulled off the brown paper packaging.

Inside was a rectangular white box. Hermione held her breath as she lifted the lid on it. As she gasped in shock when she saw what was inside it.

"Now I know I'm just an old man. But the witch at the shop assured me this would fit you."

Hermione sighed happily as she lifted the heavy black material. It was a thick Suede fur coat. And long one. If she were to put it on, the tail would hang almost to her knees. The thick black faux fur on the inside lined the entire coat and the high collar would keep her ears war.

"It's been charmed to repel almost everything, so you can wear it in harsh weather and should you ever end up in a duel, which given your friendships here is likely, it won't be damaged by spells."

"Oh it's beautiful." Hermione breathed. "Thank you so much." She moved to hug him but Dumbledore held out another package for her to open.

Quickly unwrapping the brown paper Hermione found another box inside, this one was brown and wooden. Inside it lay one leather bound photo album and a small wizarding camera that would allow her to fill the albu

"Thank you." She whispered as she held them gently.

"On more my dear" Dumbledore said, smiling happily now.

The third package was another clothing box and when Hermione opened it she simply stared. Inside was a formal dress. Pale pink in colour and floor length, slim fitting, cinched at the waist with a sweetheart neckline. Hermione lifted it out and held it up in front of herself in awe.

"Your friendship with James Potter will most likely result in you attending the New Year's Eve Ball the Potter Family hold at their Manor every year. I though you should have something nice to wear to a ball. Just in case."


	9. Paving the Road to Happiness

**A/N: Look My Cherubs! Another Chapter. YAY! And it's a nice long one. I hope Y'all love it and that you leave many many reviews, As Always, A big thank you to everyone for reviewing and to those who take the time to read the stories i write, it's nice to know that my work is at least interesting to a small majority =) Also, I know you're all dying for a new chapter of Take the Tumble, which I promise I'm going to work on right now and hopefully have ready by the end of today or early tomorrow. Pretty please leave me a review and tell me what you think. I hope You're all well and happy and that if you're not my chapter helps you feel a little better even temporarily. Much Love my cherubs =) xx-Kitten.**

Chapter 9: Paving the Road to Happiness.

Friday afternoon had crept up on Hermione and as she lounged in the common room with the Marauders she realised something terrible. Tomorrow was the day of the next Hogsmede trip and she hadn't been asked by a single person in all of Hogwarts to go as their date. In her old life, that wasn't unusual. It was expected that she and Ginny and Harry and Ron went together and other than Victor Krum she'd never been on a date in her life, at least not while at Hogwarts. But here she was the exotic new transfer from Beauxbatons.

Perhaps people believed that she was dating one of the Marauders or something.

Hermione sighed and glanced around at her friends. She had somehow conned the four boys into doing the homework they'd been given for the weekend this evening because tomorrow was a Hogsmede day and James and Sirius had Quidditch practice all day Sunday.

The group of boys were sprawled around the common room. Sirius was lying on his stomach along the couch Hermione sat on, his face by her thigh as he read from a text book on the floor. James had his parchment on his lap as he scrawled lazily in his armchair. Remus was bent over his paper at one of the desks in the common room underneath the window and Peter was sitting on the floor by the fire with his legs crossed as he scanned a book. Hermione herself sat with her parchment on her lap and her text book propped against the arms of the couch as she read and scrawled out information simultaneously.

"Something wrong 'Mione?" Sirius murmured to her without looking up.

Hermione glanced at him. She was shocked that he had managed to heal so quickly this week. His body was still covered in angry red scars, but he was no longer in danger of tearing his skin back open. And Remus still felt awful. He'd almost cried when he'd seen Sirius's body and again when he'd hugged Hermione to apologise for trying to attack her.

It truly astounded her how close the Marauders were though, Sirius hadn't batted an eye at the fact that Remus had almost killed him. Instead he'd slapped his friend on the back and suggested they all sneak down to the kitchens for food, even though he had only been out of bed for an hour. Days later he was practically healed and not once had he lost his charm or wicked sense of humour? Remus still felt awful, Hermione knew, but Sirius's upbeat and forgiving attitude went a long way to easing his guilt.

"I'm ok." Hermione said mildly "You excited for your date tomorrow James?"

Sirius snorted next to her as James groaned at the reminder of his date with Jenny Flaversham tomorrow. The past two weeks since he had asked her to be his date for Hogsmede had been a nightmare for James. There was plenty of speculation about the fact that James Potter had asked out a girl who wasn't Lily Evans for the first time in history, and little Jenny Flaversham had been parading around like a peacock, puffed up with pride and her own self-importance because she was the girl who had supposedly stolen James's affections. Hermione had seen her bragging to her friends about her date with James, and heard many other girls within Hogwarts envying Jenny because James was handsome and popular and played Quidditch and because the Marauders exuded that bad boy image that so many girls fell for.

"It's been a bloody nightmare listening to how everyone speculates about this." James groaned, scrubbing his hand over his face. Hermione chuckled at him. He looked just like Harry had in fourth year when the whole school was convinced he had entered the Triwizard tournament on purpose.

"I swear, if this plan doesn't work and Evans doesn't change her mind then I'm getting down on my knees and begging her until she agrees to go out with me." James said miserably.

"Don't worry Prongs, tomorrow you get to tell Flaversham over those little couple's table in Madame Puddifoot's that she's awful and egotistical and that her very existence offends you because she is so shallow and vicious and a complete heinous bitch." Sirius told James. He sounded particularly pleased about it and Hermione glanced at him with raised eyebrows.

Sirius caught her look and flashed her that wicked, heart-breaking smirk of his.

"So when we picked Flaversham as the target, it wasn't just a random choosing. Obviously we had to pick someone awful, otherwise it makes James a complete tosspot, but Flaversham has actually spread rumours about us. At one stage last year she told the school she had seen James and me holding hands and spread it around that we fancied each other. And earlier this year she spread around the school that Remus was in love with Tracey Montague, and she's… portly…. To put it delicately. Basically she looks like she would eat Remus for breakfast and then search for a proper meal rather than just a snack."

"Sirius Black I did not just hear you judging girl for carrying a little bit of weight, and calling another one shallow in the process." Hermione admonished him mockingly, her eyes twinkling as Sirius realised the irony of his words.

"Ok, so I'm a little bit thick, but honestly 'Mione, I'll point Montague out to you tomorrow, and you will understand our disgust and horror that such a lie would be spread about our dear, hairy friend." Sirius said. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You know James, you could always cancel on her, although that sort of defeats the purpose of the last two weeks I suppose. But if you really don't want to do it, then you could chicken out. But I know for a fact that the whole situation is driving a certain red head bonkers." Hermione said.

James glanced over at Hermione and raise his eyebrows when he realised she was serious.

"Did she say something to you?" James perked up excitedly; ruffling his hair "Is she madly in love with me? Do you think if I ask her, she'd marry me over the summer?"

Hermione glanced around the group at the other Marauders. Each of them smiled happily, and when Hermione's eyes met Sirius's, he rolled his at their hopelessly smitten friend.

"Doubtful. But I think that if you keep this up, it might actually work. You guys should have seen her last weekend after the match. I was talking to her at one stage and I think that if she had glared any harder at the slutty little third years that kept flirting with you lot, they might have actually caught on fire. She was totally fuming, called them tarts and glared a whole lot, so I dropped a few hints that your ego could only handle so many rejections, so maybe that was why you had supposedly moved on. She looked really unhappy about it, but I've seen the way she glances at you in class. It's totally working, the way you've been trying to ignore her as much as possible." Hermione smiled happily.

James looked ecstatic at the news and Hermione grinned when his eyes glazed over, no doubt he was picturing himself and Lily Evans being madly in love with each other.

"I heard some gossip today" Peter piped up suddenly, Hermione glanced at him "There are rumours flying about you Sirius."

"What are they saying about me now mate?" Sirius asked, piping up now that they were discussing something he considered exciting-Himself.

"There's a lot of speculation about you not having a date for tomorrow." Peter said "There were theories about you not having a date because of Hermione."

"What?" Hermione yelped, blushing when all four boys glanced at her mildly for gasping. Hermione avoided eye contact with Sirius, knowing that if she looked at him she'd just turn beet red and probably even stutter pathetically.

This week had been a nightmare for her. Especially after Sirius had spent all of Sunday night in her bedroom suite and her bed. Her crush on him had definitely stepped up a notch.

"Yeah, I heard some of the fifth year Ravenclaw girls saying that Sirius must have it bad for the French transfer student, because it's the first time since third year that Sirius hasn't had a date to a Hogsmede trip." Peter interrupted Hermione's thoughts.

Sirius continued to lounge languidly next to Hermione on the couch and Hermione found herself glancing at him to see first if the information was true that this was the first time he didn't have a date, and second, to see what sort of expression he wore at having people speculate that he must have a thing for her.

Sirius looked amused by the information and his eyes twinkled wickedly when he glanced at Hermione again.

"Did they say anything else?" He asked Peter.

Peter nodded "They said some nasty things about Hermione. Said that she was a snobby French tart and went on about how it was unfair that she got to transfer from Beauxbatons and join our group so easily. And then they speculated some more that Sirius must really fancy her to forgo a date. They also called you Man-Whore, Sirius." Peter said.

Hermione began to laugh. Grinning like a fool, she threw her head back and laughed. She might be twenty years in the past, but it seemed she would never escape the stigmas that stemmed from having mainly boys as her friends. There was something in that moment as she laughed about having people spreading rumours about her and popular boys that Hermione couldn't help but laugh out loud, even as she felt like she wanted to cry from missing Harry and Ron so much.

"Is she ok?" Remus asked softly as Hermione continued to laugh hysterically. Tears of laughter rolled down Hermione's face as she looked around at the four boys she had befriended, wishing Harry could have known them as she had come to. Gasping for breath even as she tried to control her laughter Hermione managed to choke out a question to them.

"You know how people always tell you that time will change everything?" she managed as she continued to chortle.

The Marauders all nodded their heads.

"Well it's a complete lie." Hermione gasped before her book fell off her lap and landed with a thud on the floor as she broke down into hysterical laughter once more.

While Hermione laughed, James Potter consulted his watch.

"Speaking of time….Bloody Hell! It's after midnight. I'm going to bed." He claimed, even as he began to yawn.

"Yeah, got to get some beauty sleep for your big fake date tomorrow." Sirius quipped, a chuckle in his voice.

Hermione reigned in her mirth as the Marauders got to their feet. Gathering up her own things, Hermione wished each of them goodnight as they headed for the boy's stairs.

"Hermione?" Hermione glanced up, dropping her quill when she realised that she wasn't actually alone.

The common room was deserted but for Sirius Black and Hermione Peverell.

He stood close to her. As he always did, invading her personal space in a way that only Sirius seemed able to without upsetting Hermione.

Memories of the previous week flooded Hermione's mind as she stared into those twinkling blue eyes.

When Hermione had returned from her lunch with Dumbledore, Sirius had been awake in her room, reading one of the books on the small book shelf. He was still in her bed, but he must have levitated the book over to himself.

He'd looked awful as he sat there, pale and drawn from the blood loss and the pain of his injuries. He'd smiled when he saw her though. And even looking as pained as he had, he'd still managed to give her that wicked, heart-breaker smile that stole her breath and launched her stomach into an impressive display of acrobatics. It hadn't helped that his shoulder length black hair was mussed from sleeping and somehow made him look even sexier.

He wore that same smile now as he looked down at her, making her realise again that he was taller than her.

"You're blushing 'Mione." Sirius murmured as he smiled down at her.

Hermione felt her face warm as she blushed harder.

"Merlin you're beautiful when you blush like that." Sirius whispered staring at her as his hand came up to brush her cheek very gently.

"Did you need something Sirius?" Hermione asked, kicking herself for the huskiness she heard in her voice.

"You are an enigma Hermione Peverell" Sirius told her "Did it bother you? What Pete told us, about what people are saying around the school?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"It's not the first time I've been accused of stealing the affection of boys who are far too popular with the female gender of humanity Sirius."

Sirius quirked an eyebrow at her "That's not really what I meant" he murmured "You yelped like a puppy with a sore paw when Pete told us they were speculating about you and me."

Hermione felt herself blush even more.

"Oh… Um… Did I?"

Sirius just stared down at Hermione, so close to her that Hermione could count the freckles on his nose.

"Why would people be thinking that you don't have a date tomorrow because of me?" Hermione asked softly, surprising herself with her daring. It wasn't like her to be so forward like this about kind of thing. Normally she would just leave things to work out on their own and let people think whatever they liked. But there was something about Sirius Black that left her feeling tingly and weak in the knees.

He had this intensity to him that stole her breath. He stood there, practically nose to nose with her, so close that only an inch separated their bodies from being pressed flush against each other. His long black hair hung in silky waves around his face and his blue eyes sparkled in the firelight from the hearth. And as he answered her, Hermione found herself staring at his lips.

"Because I always have a date for Hogsmede. But not this time."

"So why didn't you ask anyone to be your date then?"

"I did ask someone."

"Oh… did she say no?" Hermione asked softly, frowning and wondering who he might have asked that would actually turn him down.

For a long time Sirius stared down at her, and Hermione raised her eyebrows at the intensity of his stare as he did so without replying to her question.

" 'Mione, I asked you last week." Sirius murmured softly when it became clear that Hermione was still waiting for him to speak.

"No you didn't." Hermione said, stepping back in shock.

Surely she would have remembered if Sirius had asked her to be his date to Hogsmede. Because every time she got close to the guy, her nose filled with the scent of diesel and timber and freshly cut grass and leather. Because every time Sirius Black grinned at her she felt her stomach launch into the most erratic gymnastics routine in the world. Because he constantly invaded her personal space in a way that she had only ever tolerated from him. Because whether she was entirely ok with it or not, Hermione felt certain that she liked him just a little bit more than a school-girl crush.

"Yes I did. When we had Potions and had to brew Amortentia, and I told you that you smelled like the things I could smell coming off the potion and then I asked you if you had a date for the Hogsmede Weekend."

Hermione took another step back and crossed her arms over her chest.

"First of all, asking whether I had a date and whether I would be your date are two very different things. And secondly, what does Amortentia have to do with this odd conversation?"

Sirius stared at Hermione drolly.

"An enigma. I swear" Sirius muttered, dropping into an armchair and scratching his head. "Amortentia has nothing to do with anything. And I wouldn't have asked you if you had a date unless I meant that I was asking you to be my date."

Hermione snorted at his logic.

"Says who? Remus and Peter and James also all asked me if I had a date for tomorrow. Does that mean they were all asking me to be their dates too?"

Before Hermione could blink Sirius shot off the couch and had circled behind her, this time with his hand resting gently on her right hip and so close to her that his chest brushed against her back. His long hair tickled her neck as Sirius stuck his nose against the skin on the left side of her neck.

Hermione squeaked as she heard and felt Sirius inhale the scent of her skin.

"You see 'Mione, you smell like wildflowers and apple pie and rosewater and lilacs." Sirius murmured softly and Hermione felt goose pimples rise up all over her body at the huskiness of his voice. Slowly his hand crept across her hip to rest with his palm flat against her stomach, gently pulling Hermione back against Sirius.

Hermione quivered and bit her bottom lip on a gasp when she felt Sirius press a hot kiss to her neck.

" 'Mione, I lied to my friends for you when you asked me to tell them that the only reason you knew about all of us being Animagi and Remus being a werewolf was because I had explained it to you when you patched me up." Sirius whispered "Until then, I'd never told a lie to James."

Hermione's whole body felt like it was on fire from Sirius's touch. Gooseflesh raced across her skin, and she could hear her heart beat pounding in her ears. When Sirius pressed another scorching kiss against her throat, higher this time, Hermione heard herself gasp.

She'd never felt like this before.

Sirius pressed another kiss even higher up on Hermione's throat and Hermione heard the soft moan that escaped her lips moments before Sirius's hot breath and warm lips brushed against the sensitive shell of her ear

"Will you be my date to Hogsmede tomorrow 'Mione?" Sirius asked her softly.

Heat flushed across Hermione's whole body at his actions and his words and Hermione felt herself turn to face him, with every intention of kissing him as a way of answering. She'd never wanted to kiss anyone as much as she wanted to kiss Sirius Black at that moment.

Her eyes quickly scanning his face Hermione saw that Sirius gazed down at her, his eyelids lowered slightly with lust as he stared hungrily at her lips. Hermione rose up on her toes with the intention of kissing Sirius.

"Everything ok, Padfoot?" James Potter's voice asked from the boy's stairs.

Hermione jumped in shock at hearing his voice and grinned a little when she saw Sirius jump too. Hermione stepped back from Sirius as she turned towards James, the spell of the moment broken, even as her lips tingled and throbbed with the need to be pressed against Sirius's lips.

"Sirius was worried I might be upset about what people are saying about me." Hermione told James brightly, lying smoothly to cover the fact that she had almost kissed Sirius Black. Her heart was thumping so loud against her ribcage that she had no idea how both boys couldn't hear it.

Because she had almost kissed Sirius. Again. And once again Jams Potter had interrupted. Hermione wasn't sure whether to thank him or hex him. Because it would be incredibly foolish of her to admit to Sirius in any way that se fancied him as more than just a friend.

In the same way that she had kept her feelings for Ron from him, Hermione felt she ought to keep her feelings about Sirius from all of the Marauders. Because from what she had learned of Sirius these past two weeks, and what she knew of him from her old time, Hermione knew that Sirius Black was the type of boy who would 'love' her until she gave him what he wanted and then he would become bored and move on to his next conquest. And Hermione would not be just another one of his conquests.

Her peers could whisper about her all they liked, they could say the worst things about her if they must because she could take comfort from knowing it wasn't true. But there was no way Hermione was going to risk her friendship with James and Remus and with Sirius, just because she had foolishly fallen wand over cauldron in love with Sirius Black.

Sure, Remus knew that she had smelled scents of Sirius on the love potion, but he hadn't breathed a word about it to anyone. Mostly because he felt guilty about kissing her and then chasing her in werewolf form.

"Are you ok? Don't worry about what they say Hermione. You're running with us now, they were bound to viciously lie about you. They're all jealous because they aren't anywhere near awesome enough to even be considered as becoming part of our little group." James smiled at Hermione kindly. He sounded ridiculously cocky but Hermione couldn't help the small giggle that escaped her at his acceptance.

There was no way she could start anything with Sirius. It would cost her too much when things fell apart.

"I'm peachy James. Just Peachy. It takes a little more than petty fifth year girls describing their jealousy to upset me." Hermione reassured him with a happy smile.

James grinned and winked at her before he turned away and ascended the stairs once more. Behind her she could hear Sirius grinding his teeth, as he had been since the moment James's voice had interrupted them.

Slowly Hermione turned back towards him, blushing slightly because she had almost kissed the handsomest boy she'd ever met. Sirius looked mad. His arms were crossed over his chest and he leaned against the arm of the couch, with one ankle curled over in front of the other. He didn't say anything, just lifted one eyebrow at Hermione.

Hermione mimicked the action, crossing her own arms.

"Quite the forked tongue you have Peverell."

"Only when I have to have." Hermione countered, less than pleased at being called a liar.

"Oh, and what reason could you possibly have for lying to James?"

"I didn't lie to him Sirius. You asked me a few minutes ago if what people are saying bothered me."

"We'd moved on from that topic and you know it." Sirius began to tap his foot in irritation as he watched her with hooded lids.

"Did you really want James to know you had just asked me to be your date for tomorrow?" Hermione asked mildly.

"Why wouldn't I? He'll see us tomorrow anyway, and I'll probably tell him tonight."

Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"Sirius, I'm not going to be your date tomorrow." Hermione told him softly.

Sirius froze at her words and Hermione wondered if she had already done damage to their friendship by turning him down. But it was either do a little bit of damage now, or deal with a whole lot more damage later on when he went and broke her heart. Besides, Hermione reasoned to herself, if she was going to achieve her goals here of destroying the threat of Voldemort , the worst thing she could do would be to drag Sirius into danger by having people know she was in love with him.

Hermione started as those words floated through her mind.

Because she was in love with him. Like a fool she had let her emotions run away with her just like they had for Ron. Hermione snorted as an image of Ron wrapped around Lavender floated behind her eyes.

"Sure looked like you had a different answer a few minutes ago." Sirius's low voice interrupted her musings.

"A few minutes ago I let you cloud my judgement."

"And if James hadn't interrupted we'd be tonsil deep." Sirius growled "You embarrassed by me Peverell?"

Hermione sighed, realising she had hurt his feelings.

"No Sirius. I'm not embarrassed by you at all. But I am aware for the fact that you lot are the only friends I have, and seeing as I'm stuck here permanently it seems awfully foolish of me risk losing the only friends I have now doesn't it?"

"Meaning what?" Sirius said sharply.

"Sirius Black you know as well as I do that you are a complete dog when it comes to women. You chase them until you get them and then you drop them like a forgotten toy as you chase your next conquest." Hermione snapped "And I won't lose my friendships with James and Remus and with you, just because you're thinking with the wrong head. I've spent far too long loathing one of my best friends because he went and broke my heart by running off with some little hussy. I'm not doing it again."

Gathering up her belongings Hermione turned away from Sirius, and headed for the staircase to her suite.

"Hermione?" Sirius said softly. Hermione tried to ignore him, but Sirius caught her arm "Don't go to bed mad." He whispered.

Hermione felt her eyebrows rise as she glanced over her shoulder at him. Sirius wore a tender expression and he tugged on her arm until Hermione turned back around to face him. Hermione stared up a him, daring him wither eyes to say something sweet that might convince her to possibly agree to be his date, anything that might confirm to her that he would love her and leave her like he had done to so many girls within Hogwarts.

"You know" Sirius began thoughtfully as he looked down at her with those beautiful blue eyes "I don't know where you came from or how you landed here with us, but there's something about you Hermione Peverell, something mysterious. I don't think you're who you say you are." Sirius whispered to her.

"What do you mean Sirius? You do know. I came here from Beauxbatons in France after a charm kicked into effect upon the death of all my living relatives."

"Funny, for a French girl you've got a British accent." Sirius murmured, his blue eyes scanning her face for some clue that she wasn't telling the truth. "And while you might have denied it or pretended to forget, I know you knew me and James when you burst into being on the Quidditch pitch."

Hermione's mind raced as she scrambled for lies to keep Sirius from ever finding out the truth. Because it would be impossible to explain to him that she had been blasted back twenty years in time until before she was born, after knowing him in her own time, after knowing all the things she knew of the Marauders and their fates. Sure she was tampering with fate by being here and she would keep tampering, but Sirius could never know that unless she changed the present, the future would lead to the death of his best friend at the hand of another of his best friends. He could never know that Peter could betray James if it came to it. He could never know that he would leave his godson to the mercy of a cruel aunt and uncle because he was wrongly accused of mass murder and locked in Azkaban prison for twelve years, only to escape and have the largest ever man hunt wizard-kind had ever known.

"You burst into existence and when you opened those pretty brown eyes I saw recognition in them. You called James by another name, and looked devastated when we didn't know that name. And when you asked to be taken to Dumbledore you called me Sirius. Before I'd introduced myself, you knew me. And not just through rumour or social standing as one of the oldest Pureblood families either, when you looked into my face you really knew me. And you knew in less than a week than Remus was a werewolf and the rest of us had become Animagi to help him cope. I showed up at your door drowning in my own blood and three quarters dead in dog form and you knew instantly that it was me. You barely batted an eye when I transformed on you floor."

Sirius still had hold of Hermione's arm and the warmth of his hand through her clothing was very distracting even as he broke down the lies she had constructed.

"I lied to the boys for you because you looked terrified when I asked you about how you knew so much, but I know you're lying to me. You're lying to all of us. I know you're not Hermione Peverell, recently orphaned French girl. I don't know what it is that you have to fight so hard to keep from us 'Mione, but I will find out." Sirius vowed his eyes held her gaze as he spoke, and Hermione knew he meant every word. That he would dig and he would delve until he knew every skerrick of truth about her.

Hermione felt chilled at the thought, but that didn't stop the words that tumbled out of her mouth on her next breath. "Sirius Black, the truth about me would rock the very foundations of your whole world."

Rising up on her toes, Hermione pressed a soft kiss to Sirius's cheek before pulling away from him and ascending the stairs before he could stop her again.

HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB

Hermione sipped her butterbeer slowly, enjoying the taste as in warmed her from the inside. The snow was a heavy blanket over the castle and the small village of Hogsmede. Hermione wore the thick coat Dumbledore had given her. Along with all the gifts he had given her last weekend, he has also pressed a red velvet pouch full of money into her hands and insisted that it was his job to provide for her as a parent would and since she had no parents, she would take the allowance of money he gave and with no other protests than 'thank you very much'.

Hermione had been less than pleased about it, but she had no other way of getting money so she had accepted it gracefully. Remus, Peter and Sirius all lounged around the pub table with her, each of them sipping their own butterbeer. Remus was eyeing a pretty Hufflepuff girl a few tables over with strawberry blonde curls. Peter fidgeted and twitched as he glanced everywhere around the pub, his eyes stopping to linger often on the many attractive girls within the pub. And Sirius watched Hermione.

All morning, since she'd met the boys in the common room before breakfast, Sirius had been watching her. Hermione had become very self conscious about her appearance beneath his gaze and surreptitiously compared her clothing to the girls around her. Knowing it would be wet and slushy on the walk in the snow, Hermione had opted for black flared pants, which she had paired with a pretty mauve sweater she had spotted in a catalogue in the Daily Prophet and purchased. She'd also found a pretty, cherry red barrette to keep her head warm in the snow. She wore the black suede coat Dumbledore had given her too.

She looked just like a girl from the seventies, which she had been careful about this morning, opting for cotton flares rather than her warmed and preferred denim jeans in order to keep Sirius from gaining even the smallest hint that she wasn't just a recently orphaned French girl.

"Moony, why don't you go and talk to her. If you keep staring like that without going over she's going to think you're bonkers." Sirius said to his friends as Remus kept staring at the strawberry blonde.

"I need to do my Christmas shopping." Hermione announced suddenly, realising that Sirius was trying to get her alone again. "Is there anything in particular that you lot would like?" Hermione asked, glancing around at the boys.

They were supposed to be waiting for James to get back from his fake date with Jenny Flaversham, but Hermione really did need to do her Christmas shopping and it would be easier to do without the boys tagging along behind her.

"Surprise me." Remus said, smiling at Hermione as he got to his feet and strode toward the curly haired girl he'd been admiring.

"Um… I don't really know." Peter squeaked. He looked slightly startled that Hermione wanted to buy him a present, but the past two weeks Hermione had been doing her best not to judge him for sins he hadn't yet committed and it had occurred to her that if she tried to befriend him, she would have a better chance of keeping him out of Voldemort's clutches.

"I'll think of something." Hermione said, smiling warmly at the chubby blonde boy. Getting to her feet, Hermione glanced at Sirius, wondering what she might get him. He was still watching her, and he was smirking wickedly clearly realising that she was trying to avoid him for a little while.

"You know, I haven't finished my Christmas shopping either…." Sirius mused. "Say Wormtail, you wait here for James, so he'll know we haven't deserted him, and I'll show Hermione around properly. Don't want her getting lost, now do we?"

Peter looked unhappy at Sirius's words, clearly realising that he would be left by himself if Hermione and Sirius left now that Remus was flirting with the blonde.

"Sirius Black you cannot do that to your friend. You can't leave Peter here by himself. I'll be just fine to find my way around. And besides. If you're with me how will I get your present?" Hermione reasoned with the sneaky, charming black haired boy who was threatening to be her undoing.

"What if you get lost 'Mione?" Sirius asked her innocently, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

"As if I could get lost in Hogsmede" Hermione replied, rolling her eye at the very idea. "But unless you're offering me some sort of map, then I'm going alone." Hermione said, her own eyes teasing him with the secrets she held and she saw Sirius grin knowingly, clearly wondering if Hermione knew about the Marauders Map.

Realising he'd been beaten for now Sirius slumped back in his chair and took a swig of his butterbeer.

"I'll see you all later." Hermione promised the boys as she began to weave her way out of the pub. Pulling her hat into place on her head Hermione stepped out into the cold snow, gasping at the vicious wind that snatched at her clothes.

Hurrying from the cold Hermione rushed to Zonko's joke shop and searched around until she had presents for Peter and James. She found a book for Remus that she hoped he would love, but she was drawing a blank as what to buy Sirius. Wandering along, Hermione stopped into the little clothing store in Hogsmede and searched the shelves for things for herself.

Scanning the racks slowly, Hermione uncovered some interesting shirts, with wizarding bands on them and bought two different ones. At the end of a row of dresses Hermione came upon a basket filled with socks. She almost dismissed them, but then she remembered Harry telling her about a conversation he had had with Dumbledore once about never having enough socks. Searching through the basket Hermione found a pair of knee high, plum purple sock with golden snitches stitched all over them. She also found a particularly thick, soft woollen pair in bottle green and a pair of black ones with red Dragons on them that had a charm on them to ensure toasty warm feet as soon as one pulled them on.

Searching some more, Hermione came across a beautiful blue silk halter dress that puffed out with tulle from the waist to the hem. The dipping cleavage line was modest, and crusted with sparkly beading.

"That one's on special dear." The little white haired shop keeper told her "It's such a beautiful dress, but for some reason I've had the hardest time selling it. Perhaps it's a little too 'new' or something. I ordered it on a whim from one of the latest muggle fashion magazines, but because it puffs out like that, rather than being slim fitting like girls are used to, I've had a terrible time trying to sell it. It's been hanging her for months." The little old lady wrung her hands together, clearly worried that she'd never sell it.

"How much is it?" Hermione asked her softly.

"Well, I had been trying to get thirty-eight Galleons for it originally, but you can have it for eleven."

"Really?" Hermione said, smiling. "I'd love to buy it."

The woman beamed at her and rushed forward to take the dress down from the rack and setting about boxing it up. Hermione kept browsing and uncovered several pairs of high waisted pans, which she also needed.

She was just heading to the counter to way for all of her items when she spotted it. Hanging modestly among the men's clothing was a heavy looking leather jacket. It was black with a zip up the front and deep pockets. The thick black leather was slightly worn, as though it had been pre-owned, but Hermione felt herself being drawn towards it. There was something familiar about it. Juggling her items to free up one of her hands, Hermione lifted the hanger and held the jacket out in front of her.

As she stared Hermione was overwhelmed with a sense of Déjà vu. There on the front of the jacket was a very small cotton patch. It was black too, and it was shaped like a paw print. Looking at the jacket from a distance more than a meter and the paw print became invisible, but close up it was noticeable but not attention seeking. Yet that little patch set into motion a memory.

Hermione remembered the day she had first arrived at number Twelve Grimauld Place. A much older version of Sirius Black had greeted her from the kitchen, hugging her. Then she had noticed in passing the paw print stitched to the heavy leather motorbike jacket Sirius had worn, at the time dismissing it as just something he had done himself because of his animagus form.

But now it drew her eyes.

Perhaps he had wandered into this little shop one day in his school life and come across the jacket and bought it. Perhaps it had been a gift from someone who knew him enough to know his love of motorcycles. But Hermione knew that this time around, it would be a gift from a girl who had apparently fallen in love with him.

In her old life Hermione had often wondered if Sirius had ever loved someone. From what she knew of him, he'd been single when he was accused of betraying James and then murdering so many people before going to Azkaban. Remus had avoided love because of his condition, and obviously James had Lily, but as far as she knew, Sirius had spent his life alone. He'd had women of course, but it seemed he'd never had the type of girlfriend he'd fallen in love with.

For just a moment, standing there staring at the leather jacket, Hermione allowed herself to daydream about what it would be like if she and Sirius were to become something more than friends. In her mind she saw them together, holding hands as they strolled down a busy London street.

"Someone special that you might like to buy that for dear?" the little shop keeper asked her softly.

Hermione smiled softly "You could say that. But I know he'll love it."

Burdened with bags from her various shopping sprees Hermione exited the cute little clothing shop, braving the snow once more. She was still day dreaming as she made her way back through the streets towards the Three Broomsticks. Idly Hermione noticed a girl crying against the side of a building, and she stopped for a moment to offer comfort to the girl before realising it was Jenny Flaversham. Biting her lip, Hermione kept walking, rounding the corner into a little alley that was a shortcut to the pub.

"Well well" a voice hissed at her from the shadows of an overhanging roof "What do we have here? Seems the Marauderette slipped the leash of her captors and ventured into the big bad world all alone."

Hermione's eyes scanned the darkness even as she drew her wand, instincts from years of threats bubbling out to keep herself safe.

Severus Snape lurked in the shadows, leaning against a building as he sneered at her.

"Seems an awful risk to take Severus, for such a pretty little thing to wander alone through our darkness without her protectors." Another voice sneered from the other side of the alley.

Swivelling towards the voice Hermione's eyes fell on a familiar looking pointed face and chin length platinum blonde hair. With a start Hermione realised this was the teenage version of Luscious Malfoy. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him.

"Seems an awful miscalculation that you feel I need protectors, Malfoy." Hermione snapped, keeping one eyes on Snape even as she glared at the familiar sneer on the face of a Malfoy.

"Rudeness isn't tolerated at Hogwarts Peverell" Snape hissed from behind her "And you were disgustingly rude to me last week." Hermione fought not to shudder at the awful voice.

"Turn-about is fair play Snape; it was you who pushed me first." Hermione stated. Her wand practically vibrated with warmth in her gloved hand.

"Well now, little girl, you should have known your place and moved aside for your betters." Malfoy sneered.

Hermione could feel her blood beginning to boil. Her own time had instil in her a deep hatred for both of the men before her, and she felt a loathing for their ideals and their belief that they were kings while she was lower than pond scum.

"Why then did you not step aside if that's how you feel Snape?" Hermione asked archly, rolling her wand in her grip.

"You dare to imply that you are better than him, girl?" Malfoy sneered. Shocked at her words.

"I did far more than imply it Malfoy, I stated it blatantly. I am better than Snape, just as I am better than you. Because unlike you, I possess the type of morals and decency that the two of you lack. I possess the ability to discern what is truly important. You on the other hand, must resort to terrorising people better than yourself in order to stroke your pathetically damaged ego, all because Daddy doesn't love you." Hermione snarled at the two of them.

She could feel their outrage at her words, but Hermione felt a sick sense of satisfaction at challenging the two men who had been so cruel to her in her old life all because they felt her muggle parents somehow made her inferior.

"Bitch!" Snape snarled

"Substandard French Slut!" Malfoy cursed.

Hermione rolled her eyes "The only Substandard here is you Malfoy, you with you pathetic ideals and unoriginality. Always doing what Daddy tells you to. Have you ever had an original thought? You know, have you ever actually questioned that maybe your parents are both scum and that your affiliation with the dark side is just their pathetic attempt to have others view them as important and as people to be feared? I don't suppose you have, after all, that silver spoon is lodged so far down your throat that when you orally pleasure Snape here, he gets a kick from the feel of warm metal around his privates."

Hermione began to giggle as both boys turned red with fury and began hurling curses and Hexes at her.

Her wand in her hand leapt to action, performing each spell she asked of it with such precision and power that all she really needed to do was stand there creating shield charms to ward off their pathetic curses.

"Oi! What's going on here?" Hermione didn't look toward the familiar voice of Sirius Black coming from the entry to the alley. Instead she began shooting out hexes of her own, catching Malfoy with a Bat-Bogey Hex. Snape was a little quicker and hormone knew that he had delved deep into the dark arts.

"Crucio!" Hermione saw red as that curse fell from Malfoy's lips.

Moving so fast that she felt like she was a blur Hermione immobilised everyone in the alley. Originally she had intended to only hit Malfoy and Snape, but when she glanced around she saw that Sirius and James were also frozen, both with mouths open and wands held in fighting stances.

Still her blood boiled that Malfoy would dare to try and Crucio her here. Binds shot from the end of her wand as Hermione shook with rage. How dare they attack her!

The bindings from her wand came out as steel cables, rather than vines or ropes because she was so angry. With slow precision Hermione flicked her wrists, wrapped the binds around Snape and Malfoy, even as that magic coiled, she levitated her attackers together, and bound them head to toe with each other. The cables kept winding around and around them until their bodies were no longer visible, but for their faces. Slowly Hermione levitated them until both of them could see her cold eyes. Rage still flowed through Hermione, heating her in a way that even Fire Whiskey couldn't have.

"If I ever" Hermione said, her voice cold and angry "Hear you use an Unforgivable curse again, I swear you will know what it is like to be the one on the receiving end of the ones you utter." Hermione threatened sinisterly.

"So tell me Malfoy" Hermione murmured as his face revolved around so she could see him "Which one of us really needs protectors?"

With a flick of her wand Hermione hit them both with Gaggling spells that would wear off after an hour or so. The metals cables binding the two would keep them from catching their death in the wet snow and Hermione dropped her levitation charms, enjoying the sound of both idiots groaning from the impact.

With a flick of her hair Hermione spun on her heels towards her wide eyes friends, releasing them from the immobilisation charm as she wandered past them back towards the main path.

"Hermione!" Sirius called as he and James ran to catch up with her. "What the bloody hell was that?" he demanded, tugging Hermione back into the alley. Sighing Hermione turned towards them.

Both Sirius and James stood with their arms folded, towering over her.

"What was what?" Hermione asked nonchalantly.

"Last week you banned us from attacking Snivellus and now we find you in an alley with Snape and Malfoy, in the middle of a bloody duel." Sirius growled. His blue eyes blazed angrily at her and Hermione felt herself smirk a little when she realised he was so angry because she was duelling with two boys who were known to dangerous. He'd been worried about her.

"What are you doing duelling them Hermione?" James demanded.

"You may recall that I said it was ok to duel if they started it." Hermione drawled at them.

"Did they start it?" Sirius asked her sternly, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring down at her.

"Sirius Black you get off your high horse right now. I was taking a short cut back to the pub and they started in on me, they were lurking in the shadows of the buildings and they went on about how it was foolish of me to wander about without my protectors, meaning you lot. And then they started in on how I was supposedly rude to Snape the other day in Potions and that I should have practically kissed the ground as my superiors walked by, because it's apparently my fault that he ran into me." Hermione seethed "So I got a little bit irked by that, because one of the things I simply will not tolerate is scum pretending they're better than me just because they come from some supposedly prestigious _pure-blooded_ family!" Hermione spat, getting mad all over again.

"Whoa, there Hermione, you're insulting my dear Mother with those words." Sirius said, grinning even in spite of the bitterness lacing his voice.

"Anyway I told them that if the superior person was supposed to have right of way then Snape should've been getting out of my path and things escalated from there. I may have told them that I was better than both of them because I had the ability to think outside of the stupidity they base their lives on, and told them they both had Daddy issues, and that neither of them had ever had a single thought of their own and then I told Malfoy he was choking on his silver spoon, but it was ok because Snape like the feel of the metal on his privates when Malfoy pleasured him."

"Bloody Hell Hermione!" James exclaimed, looking simultaneously shocked and impressed. "I knew you'd fit in with us." James said proudly, slinging an arm over Hermione's shoulders and beginning to walk again.

"We really going to leave them there?" James asked, glancing over his shoulder at the muffled screams emitting from the writhing bundle of cables they'd left in the snow in the alley.

"They'd have done worse to me" Hermione shrugged "I only did that as punishment for the fact that Malfoy tried to Crucio me."

"HE WHAT?" James and Sirius roared.

"Relax boys; does it look as though he succeeded?" Hermione said "Notice how it is him writhing on the ground instead of me?" Hermione giggled at her own wicked irony and twirled her wand happily.

Yes it was nasty of her and part of her mind was nagging her that such treatment was unwarranted and unfair and beneath her and that she ought to at least report it to someone, so that they didn't die of Hyperthermia. But another part of her mind was arguing back that she had vowed to alter the future she had known, that if need be she would be cruel and unkind to those who deserved it and those who would do worse things to her if given the chance. That same part argued that she needed to toughen up and stop following the rules so closely.

"Your Know Padfoot, I think we might have found ourselves a feisty one." James said amusedly.

Hermione snorted at the two of them.

"How did your date go anyway James?" Hermione asked, changing the subject in the hopes of distracting Sirius, since he looked ready to commit murder because Malfoy had tried to use an unforgivable on Hermione.

"It was so ridiculous." James said, chuckling "I swear she bathed in perfume. Smelt like an entire perfume shop had thrown up on her. It was overpowering and a little nauseating. But we went to Puddifoot's where there were a bunch of other couples. She kept trying to hold my hand on the table and stuff. The fourth time I pulled away from her she got snippy. I stayed amicable until she lost it when she asked me to kiss her. Then I told her that she smelled awful and that from what I'd learned of her personality over the last two weeks she was obviously shallow and immature and that just all around didn't measure up. Then she called me a tosser and ran out crying."

"I saw her crying before I went into the alley." Hermione said as they made their way back towards the castle.

When they reached the Entrance Hall James wandered towards the Great Hall, since it was still early enough that they could grab a late lunch. Hermione and Sirius followed suit and they all wandered in together and sat down next to Remus and Peter who were already there waiting for them.

Once Hermione had a nice big bowlful of Pumpkin soup in front of her she felt better about having left Snape and Malfoy tied up in the snow. She had just slurped in her first spoonful when Sirius leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"So what did you buy me for Christmas 'Mione?"

"Because I'm totally going to tell you now. You're just going to have to wait until Christmas morning Sirius. Wish I could see your face when you open your presents though." Hermione said softly.

"You will see." Sirius said, sounding just a little bit confused by her words.

"No I won't. You're all going home for Christmas…. And I … well I don't have a home to go to anymore..." Hermione murmured.

For just a moment all four boys looked stricken as they stared at Hermione.

"But you're coming to Christmas with us." James said matter-of-factly "You'll spend Christmas and New Year with us at my parents place won't you?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows "Well is this your way of asking if I want to, or have you just decided I'm coming along?" she asked, amused.

"Both." James winked at her, but before he could speak again something over Hermione's shoulder caught his attention. A something that had his hand jumping to ruffle his messy black hair.

"Heard about your break-up Potter." A snarky voice said Hermione glanced over her shoulder to see Lily Evans standing behind Sirius. She wore tick woollen leggings with boots and a red woollen skirt. And a long black cloak

"And you've come to mend my broken heart by revealing your undying love for me?" James said hopefully, his hand ruffling his hair again.

Hermione saw shock register on each Sirius, Remus and Peter's faces when Lily Evans began to giggle.

"Not exactly. I came to talk to Hermione actually." Lily said.

"Now Evans, Snivellus deserved what Hermione did to him." James reasoned.

"What? Potter would you stop trying to distract me. What I have to talk to Hermione about is actually important." Lily said, rubbing her hand against her forehead as though even speaking to James tested her patience and gave her a headache. Hermione on the other hand, was noticing the way that James swelled like a puffed up toad with happiness that Lily clearly considered Snivellus unimportant.

"I can wait until you've finished your soup, don't rush it's not drastically important." Lily assured Hermione when hormone glanced at her full bowl of soup. Slowly, looking unsure of herself, Lily lowered herself down onto the bench on the other side of Sirius.

"Did you go to Hogsmede today Lily?" Hermione asked her when it became apparent that all four Marauders had gone into shock.

"Oh I went over this morning, did the last of my Christmas shopping, but it was so awful and cold outside that I came back early." Lily said mildly "I see you got a lot of shopping done?"

Hermione smiled "Yes, since transferring here I've had to work on replenishing my belongings."

"Couldn't you just have them sent over?" Lily asked, puzzled.

"Erm… Not really, I had a few things, which I had at my old school, but everything else was lost in the fire…" Hermione lied smoothly.

She was really beginning to hate all the lies she had to tell her friends because she'd been launched back in time. They earned her so much pity that she felt bad since none of it was true.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry. I just love sticking my foot in my mouth don't I?" Lily said, horrified that she might have offended Hermione.

"What did you want to talk to me about anyways?" Hermione asked innocently, knowing that Lily probably wanted to talk about James, especially since the date he'd been on today had ended so publicly.

"Erm… I was wondering if you had plans for the Christmas break…. I thought you might be staying here, my sister is spending it with her awful fiancé and my parents have decided to go on a holiday to Italy. I thought it might be nice for us to get to know each other better if we're both going to be here." Lily said.

Hermione smiled "Oh we were just discussing Christmas actually, James asked me to stay with him at his parents place. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you came along too, if you'd like to?"

Hermione and Lily both glanced at James to make sure he didn't object "Of course you're welcome Evans, you can't stay here by yourself." James said, covertly winking at heroine for the suggestion

"Are you sure your parents won't mind?" Lily hedged.

"They always have all of us there over the Christmas break anyway, and they have a big New Year's Ball every year. You'll be more than welcome, mum is always saying 'the more, the merrier'."

"And I'll be there, so you won't have to face this lot of toe-rags for the whole time by yourself." Hermione added when Lily still looked uncertain. Taking a deep breath Lily smiled hesitantly

"Well if it's really ok with everyone, then I'd like to. Beats staying here alone."

Under the table, Hermione felt a foot nudge hers and she glanced around quickly to see who the culprit was. Sirius caught her eye and winked at her, still wearing that heart-breaker smile of his. She could see that he was dying to get her alone so he could try to weasel the truth out of her, especially after the incident with Snape and Malfoy. But he was also pleased that she had done something so clever and helpful for James by inviting Lily to spend Christmas with the Potters.

"Well, look who it is!" James murmured as he begun to laugh, nodding towards the doors of the Great Hall.

Hurrying in, shivering and shaking from the cold, with blue lips were Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy, glaring their hatred at Hermione.

Hermione threw her head back and laughed.


	10. Playing With My Heart

**A/N: Ok So i know i promised you guys that also read Take the Tumble an update finally, but i've gotten so hooked on this one that i just kept writing and writing. and since you all were so wonderful in reviewing i figured i would reward you with another chapter. I hope you love this one. I know at times hermione might seem a little OOC but her stickler nature for rules is very difficult to toy with as a writer sometimes in achieving the outcomes i'm trying to have her achieve in this story. Much Love my cherubs, please review again. xx-Kitten xoxo**

Chapter 10: Playing With My Heart.

Hermione carried Crookshanks in his cage onto the train with her, even as he yowled and hissed, swiping his paw through the bars of his cage in an attempt to claw Peter, who was walking behind Hermione. Christmas was just three days away and the Marauders plus Hermione and Lily Evans had boarded the train for Christmas break.

Crookshanks was less than pleased to be locked up in his cage, which combined with the proximity of Peter had him puffed up with anger inside his cage. Sirius glanced over his shoulder at Hermione as she held the cage out in front of herself so that Crookshanks couldn't claw her and wouldn't be able to see Peter anymore. He looked amused by the raging kitten.

The past three weeks had been like torture for Hermione. Since she had refused to be Sirius's date to Hogsmede and he had vowed to find out the truth about her, living with him had become impossible. Everywhere they went he watched her, his blue eyes scanning her every action to try and gain any form of information about her. It had gotten so bad that Hermione went out of her way to avoid being alone with him and she had seriously considered spending Christmas at Hogwarts for a small reprieve from his constant hounding.

It didn't help at all that he was incredibly handsome and that he smelled so good and was such a cheeky flirt all of the time. It also didn't help, Hermione thought to herself as she checked him out from behind, that he looked so sexy in jeans and his leather jacket.

"What is his problem?" James demanded, glaring at the raging Kitten as all six of them tumbled into a compartment for the train ride back to London.

"He hasn't been in a cage since he left the shop where I bought him, because he absolutely hates being caged up. He's unhappy with me for tricking him into being caged again. And he absolutely hates Peter for some reason. Sorry Pete." Hermione said, glancing at the plump blonde boy where he sat on the opposite side of the carriage, as far from the kitten as he could. No one mentioned that it was probably because Peter could turn into a rat at will, because Lily Evans had no idea a that the marauders could turn into animals.

"It's alright. You're not going to let him out though are you?" He asked worriedly.

"Well if I do he'll probably attack all of us and then run away and I won't be able to ever get him back into the cage, but if I don't he'll probably yowl for the entire train ride." Hermione said.

Sirius flopped down into the vacant space next to Hermione and took the cage from her.

"Hey little Man, you need to relax." He told the kitten, holding the cage at eye level and glaring at the kitten. Crookshanks hissed at him and took a swipe through the bars towards Sirius and Hermione burst out laughing. It seemed that when agitated Crookshanks was going to treat Sirius the way he would any old wet nosed dog.

"I think it might be best if I leave him locked up, I'll put him up there and cover the cage with a coat of mine that won't be effected by his claws." Hermione said, standing and putting the cage in the overhead luggage rack before digging out a coat she'd bought last week but wasn't overly fond of once she received it in the post, before sitting back down.

Crookshanks kept yowling and Hermione glanced at Remus where he'd taken the empty seat on her other side as he muttered "If he doesn't shut it, he might become a furry little snack." Hermione raised her eyebrows, wondering if it was a good idea for Remus to be spending Christmas with them all at the Potters when the full moon was once again practically upon them.

As though he had heard and understood Remus's muttered words, Crookshanks fell silent finally.

"I thought he'd never shut up" Lily said, glancing around the compartment and realising that if she wanted to sit comfortably on one of the seats she was going to have to sit next to James. She narrowed her eyes at the arrangement of seating, but Hermione just grinned at the red head who had become her friend over the last two weeks and had admitted to Hermione that she might have developed maybe just the tiniest crush on James, especially since she had been spending more time with all of the Marauders as she strengthened her friendship with Hermione.

James ruffled his hair and grinned at his friends when Lily dropped into the seat between Peter and James.

"So where exactly do you live Potter?" Lily asked him conversationally.

"At the Manor with my Parents in the countryside. Actually we're a few miles from Stonehenge. But the Manor isn't in a town or anything, though there is a little wizarding village nearby, Stormy Hollow." James told her, reclining in his seat.

Next to Hermione, Sirius shuffled around in his seat as though he wanted to turn in circles a few times before sitting as she had seen him do a few times as a dog in her old time. Hermione watched him, amused when he kept shuffling around like he couldn't get comfortable. He had the window seat but as he continued to fidget he glanced at Hermione.

"Can we swap?" he asked her seriously.

"Um, I guess so. What is wrong with you?" Hermione asked him, amused.

"I don't know. But if I sit here I'm going to drive you mad fidgeting." He told her. He looked confused as he raked a hand through his long black hair.

Hermione grinned and got us again, letting Sirius slide over into her seat before taking the window seat. As soon as he was sitting next to Remus, Sirius seemed to relax and Hermione wondered if perhaps he felt uncomfortable having Hermione sit next to Remus when he was so close to the change. Hermione giggled at him as he slouched in his chair, a picture of ease.

"You're twisted, you know that right Black?" Hermione teased him.

Sirius stuck his tongue out at her.

"Are you ok Remus, you seem sort of edgy today?" Lily asked of the sandy haired werewolf. Remus glanced around at his friends before responding.

"I'm not looking forward to spending tomorrow with my folks." Remus said softly.

Hermione pitied him as he looked away, clearly embarrassed by his lie and by his condition that meant he would be returning to his parents house tonight and staying the following night, when the moon would be full. He would come to James's on Christmas Eve, after he had transformed for the month. Realising that he was extra edgy because he wouldn't have his friends there to break him out of his cage and keep him from hurting himself, Hermione decided she would give him an extra hug when they parted ways at Kings Cross.

Lily glanced around the compartment at the rest of the Marauders when no one piped up to reassure Remus that seeing his family wouldn't be so bad.

"What are your plans Pete?" Hermione asked, trying to change the subject before things got awkward. "Are you coming to James's or are you seeing you folks first?"

"Oh, they wanted me to spend Christmas with them and come to James's on Boxing Day." Peter replied, he looked put out and disappointed, clearly knowing he was going to miss out on some of the fun.

"I'm sure you could convince them to let you come over on Christmas day if you tried, maybe even compromise and spend the morning with them, and come to James's in the afternoon." Hermione told him, smiling encouragingly.

Peter perked up a little at her words.

"Yeah, you can't skip all of Christmas day with us mate." Sirius told the plump boy.

"Oh that is a good idea Hermione." Lily said "You should bargain with them Peter, you just have to spend Christmas with all of us. You'll miss out on all the fun if you don't get there until Boxing day."

Hermione watched, pleased, as Peter swelled with happiness as his friends ganged up to tell him that they actually wanted him with them. Mentally Hermione crossed her fingers, hoping that this sort of behaviour would one day keep Peter from betraying his friends to Voldemort.

As the train sped along, the carriage that housed the six of them was filled with laughter and Hermione could practically feel them all buzzing with excitement. And before she knew it she was completely relaxed, chuckling as she leant against the window, lifting her legs and straightening them out across Sirius's lap, not realising what she was doing until she had already done it. Sirius smirked at her but didn't object as he rested his arms on her legs in his lap.

The rest of the carriage occupants were too enraptured by James as he entertained Lily with stories of the antics the Marauders usually got up to at his house in holiday times, to notice the heated look Sirius shot at Hermione, but Hermione saw it.

Saw it and felt herself begin to blush immediately as she remembered the night weeks ago when Sirius had kissed her neck in the common room, at the way her skin had tingled and heat had pooled within her. She blushed harder when she thought of how it had felt to be pressed against him as he kissed her neck, his arms around her waist and lips burning against her throat. Even as she blushed, Hermione realised her eyes had strayed to his soft lips again. Sirius smirked wider as Hermione blushed furiously and she wanted to bury her face in her hands when he chuckled wickedly, because the sound seemed to reverberate through her mind and set her stomach diving into that familiar gymnastics routine.

Since the Hogsmede weekend there had been a shift in the relationship between Hermione and the rest of the marauders. Hermione blamed it on the way she had handled the attack of Snape and Malfoy on her. The Marauders seemed to have developed a new respect for Hermione as a witch because of the powerful magic she had performed so easily, and because she had fought back when her assailants had attacked her. Sirius especially seemed to have developed a new respect for her and Hermione wondered if it was because of her stance in life concerning magical equality and her hatred of the dark side, with which his family was so closely affiliated, or if it was because she had demanded his respect as a woman by refusing to let him treat her the way he treated his conquests.

In spite of her resolve, Hermione often caught herself looking at Sirius with more than friendship in her eyes. She had also noticed something particularly odd about him. Not once since she had arrived had Sirius been on a date or rendezvoused with any other girls within Hogwarts. The other Marauders had noticed too and Hermione had asked Remus about it, but he had refused to comment, saying only that Sirius had apparently stopped dating. No other explanation had been given to her for his odd change in behaviour as well as his basic demeanour towards girls.

Watching the way Sirius let his eyes rove over Hermione, she realised that while he hadn't been on any dates, he had asked someone out. And she had turned him down, which Hermione had no doubt had been a first for Sirius Black. Hermione froze as a terrible thought struck her.

Perhaps her refusal to date him had triggered him to direct all of his efforts into changing her mind, because she presented him with a challenge. He seemed to know that she was attracted to him, and no doubt he felt that her resolve to refrain from starting anything with him was just her way of telling him to try harder. He was male after all. And everyone with half a brain knew that guys had a nasty habit of misconstruing 'No, I'm not interested in dating you' with 'I am interested, but I want you to try harder to convince me so that I don't look like a slut'.

Hermione was drawn back to reality when she felt Sirius's fingers begin to trace invisible patterns on her shins. He had returned his attention to the story James was telling, throwing in comments every now and then as Lily Evans stared at James in wonder. Hermione grinned when she looked at the red head. It was obvious to her that Lily had developed a crush on James, and that with every passing second that crush grew. Hermione could see it in the way she hung off James's words, the way she sat relaxed next to him, their arms brushing slightly. Hermione was almost willing to wager that if James continued to play his cards right, Lily Evans would be head over heels in love with him before the end of the school year.

Hermione giggled a little, sliding down in her seat a little more and crossing her ankles in Sirius's lap. It seemed quite the predicament she had dragged Lily and herself into. They were both falling fast for two very handsome boys, both of whom had more courage than sense. Lily at least, could probably tell James right then that she was interested in dating him and James would stay faithful to her for the rest of his life, as he seemed to have done since he was twelve years old. He had only dated Jenny Flaversham as a ploy to gain Lily's attention.

Idly Hermione wondered if James was a virgin. He probably was. He might have kissed other girls, Hermione mused, but she doubted that James Potter would have allowed himself to participate in the act of love without the girl he was in love with. Hermione sighed heavily when she glanced at Sirius, knowing for a fact that he wasn't a virgin, that he just loved women, rather than one in particular. Lily might be able to trust that if she went out with James he would be true to her, but Hermione knew that if she dated Sirius or even kissed him she would get her heart completely tangled up in him, while he would move on to find someone else to play with.

Sirius nudged her leg in his lap and when Hermione glanced up she realised that they were all watching her.

"What?" She said, unsure if she had been asked a question or if her heavy sigh had been louder than she thought. "Did you ask me something?"

"Are you ok Hermione?" Lily asked, her forehead crinkling in concern.

"Oh yes. Yes I'm fine. Why?" Hermione lied.

"You looked really sad just now, and heaved this massive sigh, and when I asked you if you were ok, you didn't even seem to hear me." Lily told her.

"Oh. Sorry." Hermione apologised, blushing again. Hermione stared at her hands in her lap before glancing back up at the group. They were still watching her, as though waiting for her to crack and tell them the truth. When they just kept staring and waiting Hermione felt herself begin to squirm.

"Hermione?" Remus said softly. Hermione raised her eyebrows at him. "You're really bad at lying." He told her gently. Hermione blushed again.

"I know." She whispered back "I'm sorry, it's nothing really" she said softly "I was just wondering how my old friends would be spending their Christmas." Hermione said softly "I miss them. Normally I would've been on the train to the Burrow with Harry and Ron and Ginny and we would have been plotting about serious things, like how to stop the world from ending. And then I realised that this year I won't be there. I might never be there again. And if I am, it won't be the same." Hermione whispered brokenly, feeling sadness for her loss creep into her heart and settle beneath her breast bone as reality whomped her over the head again.

She might never visit the Burrow again. This year she wouldn't receive the familiar lumpy parcel for Christmas from the Weasley's. She would never again be given a box of Molly's mince pies and the Weasley Jumper she currently wore was the only thing she had to comfort herself with in the knowledge that it was the only one she would own for the rest of her life.

Hermione felt her bottom lip begin to tremble as tears threatened in her eyes. She wouldn't wake up on Christmas morning and hug Harry and Ron and Ginny. This year she would wake up in the house of Harry's grandparents. The family he never had the chance to meet. Never again would she experience the joy of just chatting to Harry and Ron.

"I'm sorry. You guys are so wonderful, and you've been so nice to me. But Harry and Ron were the first friends I ever had. They fought a Mountain Troll for me. And now I may never even know them" Hermione blurted before shooting to her feet and rushing for the door.

The first sob escaped her as the door slammed behind her and Hermione ran for the bathroom. The agony of loss and pain at losing the people who meant the whole world to her crashing down upon her with such ferocity that her knees began to buckle.

A hand caught Hermione's arm and tugged her into an empty compartment by her shoulder while Hermione buried her face in her hands as the tears escaped her eyes in a flood of salty water and the sobs tore from her throat. The compartment darkened beyond her hands as someone flicked their wand to lower the shades and the door clicked as it locked. Strong arms came around her and Hermione let herself be wrapped in the warmth and comfort of Sirius Black's arms. Hermione buried her faces against his chest as the pain in her chest exploded like her whole world had just been blown apart. Hermione could hear an awful sound, as though someone wailed and sobbed in agony and she knew the sound came from her.

But she couldn't control it. Not when it hurt so much to know that the friends she had known and loved, the first friends she had ever had, would never know her as she knew them. There would be no returning to her own time where she could hug her friends close, where she could hug Ron and apologise for the fact that she had been jealous and mean because he was with Lavender Brown instead of her, there would be no laughing with Harry in a way that she had always longed to do with siblings she'd never had.

Instead she was trapped in a life twenty years in the past, before Harry or Ron or herself had even been born. And she was all alone. She had no one she could really talk to about how she felt because the only person who knew the whole truth of her circumstances was the one person she didn't want to let down by having him know how an ache had been growing in her chest every day that she woke up here and remembered all over again that this wasn't a dream. She couldn't tell her friends about it without lying to them, because they could never know the truth about her.

The warm strong arms that held her began to gently rub circles against her back and Hermione knew that this time not even Sirius could hold her together because her heart was breaking. The reality of her situation had begun to splinter her heart from the moment she had arrived, but now it fell apart like and ice sculpture that had been whacked with a sledge hammer.

"Hermione?" Sirius's voice murmured to her as he tried his hardest to hold her together "We may not have fought off a Mountain Troll, but James and Me, we fought an hungry werewolf for you."

Hermione's breath caught on a sob as his whispered words penetrated her mind.

She might not have Ron and Harry and Ginny here with her, but she did have friends. She was alone in her agony because they couldn't know the whole truth, but she had people here who cared about her, people she had come to love so quickly. The pathetic sob that escaped her should have bothered her, but as Hermione realised that she dragged her hands away from her face and wrapped her arms around the narrow waist of the boy who held her. Her arms sliding around him beneath his leather jacket and squeezing him tightly in thanks for the words that might just be saving her life.

Because he was right, her first friends in the whole world might have fought off a troll for her, but James and Sirius had risked their lives to save her from a werewolf. A werewolf who just so happened to also be her friend. Yes she didn't have Harry and Ron and Ginny, but she did have James and Sirius and Remus and Lily and even Peter.

"Maybe we don't measure up to these friends you lost, because a lifetime of friendship can't just be replaced, but you should know we all love you 'Mione." Sirius told her gently, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head as Hermione cried into his chest.

Sirius's soft words rocked Hermione's whole world.

When Hermione finally had her emotions under control she sniffled as she tilted hr head up to look into the handsome face of the sweetest boy she'd ever met and stared in wonder. Because no one else in the word knew how sweet he was, yet here he was, still trying to hold her heart together for her as it fell apart.

"Thank you." She whispered to him, her voice thick from crying.

Her face was probably puffy and red from crying, but right then Hermione didn't care at all if the boy she had gone and fallen in love with saw how ugly she might look in the face of her pain. What she cared about was having him know that he was truly amazing.

Sirius gave her a tender smile in return, his blue eyes filled with worry and tenderness.

"You don't need to thank me 'Mione" he murmured "One thing I can't stand is the idea of the people I care about suffering alone."

Hermione smiled at him, pulling back a little so she could dab at her tears with the hem of her jumper.

"You're worried about Remus aren't you?" she whispered to him.

Sirius nodded "His transformations are painful and when he transform he gets filled with this rage when he discovers he's locked up, and breaking things only goes so far to expel it. Then he hurts himself. When he goes home his parents will lock him in a cage deep under the ground where no one will hear him howl when he transforms tomorrow night. They're afraid of him, even though he only gets furry once a month, and he doesn't like to be around them because he knows he makes them uncomfortable in their own house. And there isn't really anything we can do to help him, at school he goes into the Shrieking Shack, and after we all learned to transform we broke him out so that he wouldn't hurt himself anymore. When it was just the four of us at James's for holidays we never really worried about it after we could all transform, we'd tell Dorea and Charlus that we were camping out n the fortress we built years ago, which we reinforced with steel just in case, and Remus didn't need to go home and be locked in a cage. But even though you know the truth about all of us, Evans doesn't. And unless she someday falls in love with James and marries him, she can't know that Remus is a werewolf. So he'll have to go home this time and hurt himself all night without us there to keep him occupied." Sirius said sadly.

"I'm sure I could occupy Lily in the house while you guys camped out." Hermione said "I could keep her busy and you and James could look after Remus while he transforms, then he won't have to go home where he isn't wanted and he won't have to hurt himself."

Sirius stared down into her eyes and Hermione saw something flicker within the blue pools.

"You truly are amazing." Sirius told her. "We could run it by them, but now that Remus has told Evans he's going home, he may have to. And while Dorea and Charlus are ok with us staying with Remus while he transforms because our Animagus status, they won't be ok with it while you girls are there too."

"What about if Lily and James do get together? Can she know about Remus then?" Hermione asked him, her mind formulating a plan.

"I suppose. Why?" Sirius asked her.

Hermione bit her lip with indecision, she hadn't really wanted to reveal anything to the marauders about the future but if they could help Remus even more then maybe it would be worth it.

Hermione pulled out of Sirius's arms and stepped back from him.

"Sirius….. If I tell you a secret, will you keep it? Even from the others?" Hermione asked him seriously.

Sirius frowned at her "I don't keep secrets from my friends 'Mione. Especially from James."

Hermione nodded. "You've been hounding me for weeks now to find out the truth about me Sirius…. Do the others know that you don't believe I'm just an orphaned French transfer student with nothing to her name and no one but Albus Dumbledore?" She asked.

Sirius hesitated "I haven't told them what you said, about the truth about you supposedly likely to rock the foundations of my world. But I think perhaps they doubt your story a little, mainly because you don't have a French accent. Do you even speak French?"

Hermione smiled at him. "Yes, I do. But I'm not at all a French girl with no parents. The truth about who I am is far more complicated than that."

"So un-complicate it." Sirius said, his eyes gleaming.

"Sirius, you don't understand, I can't tell you. I just can't, because if I do everything will change, and that can't happen. But I do need to tell you something, I just want you to keep it a secret for a little while." Hermione told him.

"Just for a little while? I can tell James eventually?" he clarified. Hermione bit her lip but nodded.

"Ok."

Hermione smiled.

"I'm certain that James and Lily are fated for each other, and you can't tell him this, but Lily told me she thinks she might be developing a crush on him." Hermione said.

"That's the secret? I could tell she fancies him, otherwise she wouldn't have agreed to come to his house for Christmas." Sirius said sounding disappointed.

"Sirius, I've been working with Professor Dumbledore to become an Animagus." Hermione said, watching his shock register on his handsome face.

"For how long?" he asked her.

"I asked him about it the day after you were attacked."

"You didn't tell him about us did you?"

"No, though I wouldn't be surprised if he knows, he's an incredible wizard."

Sirius stared at her. "Why did you ask him about it when we could teach you?"

"Because I didn't want you guys to know, which is why you can't tell the others yet."

"Why don't you want them to know?"

Hermione sighed. This was going to be difficult to explain.

"Sirius, are you aware of the threat Voldemort poses to the wizarding world?"

Sirius's eyebrows shot up and his face went pale at her use of the name of the most evil wizard in the world.

"You say his name?" he breathed

"Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself Sirius. The point is I'm sure you're aware of the nonsense he is spouting, about the inferiority of muggle borns and half bloods and anyone who isn't a pure blood wizard. That their blood is inferior and they clearly stole the magic of a pure blood. Which is utter twaddle, because Voldemort's father was a muggle. The point is, he's gathering dark wizards and Death Eaters to his cause by promising them power if they follow him. So, say several years from now, James and Lily get married and they have a baby, and a prophecy is recited that states that their baby will be able to destroy Voldemort. He gets wind of it and comes after James and Lily and they have to go into hiding. They can't make you their secret keeper, because you're the first person they'll suspect, the same goes for Remus. So say they put their trust in Peter, but spread it around that you're the secret keeper, because you will do anything you can to protect your best friend and you godson." Hermione paused to draw breath as Sirius stared at her in horror.

"Say that Peter didn't want to be Secret Keeper, because since leaving school the three of you have neglected him a little because he gets on your nerves. Then one night Voldemort finds him and threatens to kill him if he doesn't give up James and Lily and the location of the boy who can kill him. Peter's cowardice is as it's always been without his friends around to protect him and he sells his best friend's family to Voldemort, who proceeds to murder them both in an attempt to get to the boy." Hermione said.

Sirius watched her in horror and disbelief that she would even think such things.

"Say that were to happen someday Sirius, and Peter became a Death Eater too he'd tell Voldemort everything about you guys. About your animagi and Remus's condition. You'd try to murder him for killing your best friend, and even Remus wouldn't know that Peter had been secret keeper instead of you, so he would blame you, thinking the influence of your family finally took."

"Why would you ever say that Hermione?" Sirius demanded, angry that she would accuse one of their friends of such things.

"Because nothing in this life is ever certain Sirius." Hermione murmured back to him "The most useful and despicable skill Voldemort has, is the ability to make us all doubt each other, to find the weak points of a relationship between any two people and exploit it until they are both accusing the other of horrifying things. You have no idea of the evil in the soul of that monster and I will do my damndest to make sure you never do." Hermione vowed, pressing her hand to his stubbled cheek and smoothing her thumb over his frown lines.

"But if there ever come a day where such things seem like they may become a reality I want to make sure we have an escape plan ready. I want to make sure that James and Lily could go into hiding in animals forms if Lily can master Animagi as well. I want to make sure that if they ever do their secret keeper isn't someone who will sell them to Voldemort to save themselves. And I want to make sure that even if Voldemort were to find James and Lily, their son wouldn't be with them, he would be safe somewhere far from danger until Voldemort is murdered." Hermione said, "And you and I have to work harder to make sure that the whole group of us never have reason to doubt one another, we must nurture those of us who have their own faults that might lead to destruction, Peter's cowardice for example. He must never, ever doubt that any of us would die for him, so he in turn would willingly die for us. Remus must know that his condition does not make him any lesser as a person, which he believes currently."

"But if you want to strengthen the unit and friendship between our whole group based on trust and all that, why are you lying to all of us?" Sirius asked her.

"Sirius, I told you before, the truth about me will ruin your life, all of your lives. What you do need to know about me is all plainly there to see. I will do anything for my friends. Anything to make sure they're safe and that scenarios like the one I just described never ever become a reality." Hermione told him.

"Anything? You'd die for us? You'd kill for us?" Sirius challenged her.

Hermione's brown eyes met and held Sirius's blue one.

"Anything Sirius Black. If it came down to it that saving your life or James's or Remus or even Peter's, could only be achieved if I had to duel Voldemort myself and hit him with a killing curse, I'd do it in a heartbeat." Hermione vowed "To be honest with you, if there came a day when no one I loved was threatened but I had the opportunity to kill that monster and end his reign of darkness, my wand would be out and the curse dropping from my lips before he even knew I was there."

For a very long time Sirius stared at her and Hermione realised suddenly that at some stage during the conversation they had both sat down opposite each other.

"Who are you Hermione Peverell? What happened to you that you can say that and mean it?" Sirius murmured to her.

"Far too young, I learned that there are monsters in the world and that evil doesn't fight fair. I learned that good will never triumph over evil. The only way to fight evil is with evil, by evil's rules." Hermione whispered, her face open to Sirius's gaze.

"That's why you attacked Snape and Malfoy like you did isn't it?"

Hermione nodded at him "If they knew the truth about me, they would kill me on the spot Sirius. All my life people have despaired over the unfairness of the fight between good and evil because evil will do despicable things that good people refuse to do. The most important truth about me Sirius, is that I'm evil fighting for the good side."

HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB.

When the train reached the station, and the six friends spilled onto Platform 9 and 3/4 Hermione dragged her trunk and Crookshanks's cage along behind James and Sirius as they led the way towards two people who could only be the Potters. James and Sirius greeted them happily, both of them hugging Dorea and shaking hands with Charlus. Hermione waited quietly as James introduced Lily and then hormone to his parents. They both smiled warmly and Dorea pulled Hermione into a hug.

"You two are the beautiful girls who've come along and stolen the hearts of my sons." She said, smiling as Lily and Hermione both blushed and rushed to explain that none of them were couples.

Hermione noticed as she did so that James and Sirius made no move to correct Dorea of her suspicions and when her gaze met Sirius's he winked at her.

"We should say goodbye to Peter and Remus before they leave" Hermione said, to keep from blushing, or even worse, responding with a wink of her own.

"Yes, now when are they coming James?" Dorea asked, as the whole group moved towards Remus and his parents.

"Remus is coming Christmas Eve, and if Pete can convince his folks he'll come over in the afternoon on Christmas Day, but if they refuse then he'll be there Boxing Day."

"Excellent." Charlus boomed happily.

Hermione watched as Peter and Remus turned towards them, both wearing glum expressions. James and Sirius moved in and gave both of their friends manly hugs, with a lot of back slapping involved. Hermione smirked at the four of them before she moved in to hug both of them.

"Have a nice Christmas if we don't get to see you until Boxing Day." Hermione said to Peter, moving in and hugging the plump boy, who blushed pink.

"You too Hermione."

When Hermione turned to Remus he looked positively miserable.

"Remus, we'll see you Christmas Eve." She said, moving in and wrapping her arms around his lean hips. When he wrapped his arms around her shoulders Hermione pressed her mouth to his ear and whispered "We'll be thinking of you. Don't ever forget that we all love you." Hermione tightened her grip on him, squeezing him hard to let him know he would be missed and that they really did love him. His arms around her shoulder tightened until he held her in a bone crushing bear hug.

Hermione pressed a kiss to his cheek as he let her go and when she pulled away from him she saw his eyes shining like he might shed a tear.

They all waved to each other as they made their way to separate cars in the parking lot. Hermione smiled when Charlus offered his elbow to his wife and Dorea threaded her arm through his.

"Where are your parents?" Hermione whispered to Sirius when she realised he walked beside her.

Sirius glanced at her before slinging his free arm that wasn't dragging his trunk over Hermione's shoulders. "You're looking at them." He said, nodding towards the Potters. "I only visit Grimauld Place for about a week in the Summer. The rest of my year is spent as far from them as possible. You heard Dorea call me her son as well as James, she meant it. The Potters take far better care of me than my own family. The Blacks feel I'm a traitor for being sorted into Gryffindor and not living by their ideals."

Hermione glanced up at him sadly and he shrugged his shoulders.

Once they had all piled into the car which had been magically extended to allow for six passengers and all of their luggage, Charlus turned in his seat to smile at James Lily, Sirius and Hermione. "Who wants to stop for afternoon tea before we leave London?"

"You know, I've been craving Cinnamon doughnuts." Sirius said, grinning.

Hermione realised that this must be a tradition because all three members of the Potter family chuckled.

"I know just the place." Charlus said, turning to face forward and starting to car.

"Every time we come home, Mum and Dad take us to this dingy looking little café on the outskirts of London." Sirius told Hermione from his place next to her in the back seat. Lily sat on Hermione's other side, and James sat on the far side of Lily.

"I thought Mr and Mrs. Potter were James's parents?" Lily said, clearly baffled to hear Sirius called Dorea and Charlus 'mum and dad'.

"They are my parents, but Sirius is my brother. So they're his parents too." James told her "Anyways the first time Sirius came to stay with us, Dad asked us if we wanted afternoon tea and Sirius said it would be nice to have some cinnamon doughnuts, thinking we'd go to a Krispy Creams. Instead we kept driving and driving until Dad stopped outside this run down little café that looks more like the office of a trailer park than a food place."

"James and I looked at each other as we went in, thinking it was going to be disgusting because the whole place smelt of the frying oil muggles use to cook fish. But Dad insisted we had to eat there. So reluctantly, we ordered." Sirius cut in.

"They do the best food in all of the UK, including Hogwarts. When you get there and have one bite of their food, you'll never want to leave." James said, ruffling his hair.

Hermione and Lily laughed along with Mr and Mrs Potter.

"Oh Charlus, I've missed having my boys home." Dorea sighed happily, taking her husband's hand.

Beside her, Hermione noticed the happy smile on Sirius's face. It was a contented smile, as though he too had missed being with the people he referred to as his parents. It was obvious to Hermione that he loved Mr and Mrs Potter as though they really were his parents, and Hermione felt her heart squeeze as she thought of her own parents as well as Mr and Mrs Weasley.

"We missed you too Mum." Sirius said softly, reaching forward to gently pat the shoulder of Dorea Potter.

Sirius glanced sideways at Hermione, no doubt wondering if she was judging him. Hermione smiled at him

"You remind me so much of someone I used to know." Hermione whispered to him, realising suddenly how much Sirius and Harry were alike in their circumstances. She knew that Harry had thought of Molly and Arthur as the closest thing he had to real parents.

"Must've been a decent bloke." Sirius said cheekily.

Hermione giggled "Just like his Godfather apparently."

HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB

"This is where you live?" Lily Evans demanded of James Potter, her voice a mixture of awe and disgust as she stared up at the Potter mansion "No wonder you've always been such an arrogant snot. You're life is perfect."

Hermione laughed at Lily's tone while James looked affronted.

"You got a problem with my house Evans?" James demanded "We can put you on the Night Bus back to Hogwarts if you'd prefer not to stay in my parents beautiful house." He threatened.

"You wouldn't." Lily said, sticking her tongue out at him.

Hermione giggled when she realised that Lily was flirting with James. Glancing across at Sirius, Hermione found him already looking at her but he was grinning too as Lily and James proceeded to flirt as they argued about whether or not James would really make Lily leave.

"Looks like it might be you and me until Remus and Peter get here." Sirius said "Seems that these two are going to be wrapped up in each other."

Hermione nodded as James and Lily headed inside behind Dorea and Charlus.

"Because you and me need more one on one time." Hermione said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at Sirius before following behind their friends. Behind her she heard Sirius's low chuckle. The one he used whenever he flirted with her. The one that sent her stomach into its gymnastics routing.

Unburdened by their luggage, which Dorea and Charlus levitated inside for them, Hermione glanced over her shoulder at Sirius to find him standing right behind her. His blue eyes twinkled wickedly as he stared at her heatedly. When Hermione didn't move from the spot when she stood captivated by his gaze on the garden path, Sirius lent forwards slightly and pressed a hot kiss directly below Hermione's ear.

Hermione's whole body shuddered at the feel of his warm skin against her sensitive skin. Goose flesh raced across her body beneath her clothing and her heart began to pound.

"What are you doing Sirius?" Hermione murmured to him, hating the way her voice sounded husky.

Sirius stuck his nose into her hair and took a deep breath.

"You smell divine." His whispered into her ear, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her against his chest.

"What are you doing?" Hermione repeated.

"You have no idea how difficult it is to be pressed against you without being able to run my hands all over you." Sirius murmured into her ear huskily before grazing his teeth across her ear lobe.

Hermione gasped as the sensations raced through her veins. His words set a fire flickering somewhere deep inside her and Hermione almost cried out when Sirius released her and stepped around her, "Come on Peverell." He called over his shoulder, grinning wickedly at her.


	11. Game On, Sirius Black!

**A/N: "Another Chapter!" You cry happily, That's right my sweet cherubs, another chapter because i have fallen in love with this story as much as you have and i cannot seem to stop writing it. I hope you love the direction of this chapter. Thank you for all your reviews. Much Love xx-Kitten.**

Chapter 11:

"Now then girls, I'll show you to your rooms." Dorea Potter said, smiling kindly and beckoning them towards the staircase inside her beautiful home. The polished ebony of the walls and staircase were perfectly complimented by the warm mahogany furniture and ruby red carpets.

Lily and Hermione followed Dorea up the stairs dutifully.

"It's so nice to meet the two of you. I've heard so much about you both." Dorea said.

"All good things I hope?" Hermione said.

"Oh yes, James and Sirius speak very highly of you Hermione. And I'm sure you know that James has been smitten with Lily forever so we've heard all about you too dear." Dorea said smiling warmly at Lily while Lily blushed.

"Yes I've heard a great many things about the two girls stealing away the hearts of my boys."

Dorea was silent again while Lily and Hermione exchanged a baffled gaze.

"Now Lily dear, this one will be your room while you're here. James's bed is just across the hall here, do you see?" Dorea said, opening the door to one of the rooms off the main hallway and flicking her wand to light the fireplace "And Hermione yours will be just down here, right next to each other so that these boys can't harass you too much." Hermione jumped when the door opposite the room Dorea showed to sprang open and a particularly handsome looking Sirius leant in the doorway.

"We wouldn't dream of harassing the girls Mum." Sirius told her, smiling winningly before winking at Hermione.

"Sirius Black you're forgetting that I was sixteen once too" Dorea admonished him playfully "Not to mention that I actually read the letter you sent me last week." Her eyes twinkled as she teased her adoptive son "Now be a dear and help Hermione with her trunk." Dorea said as she lit the fire in Hermione's room too.

"If you girls need anything at all you be sure to ask my boys. They'll behave like gentleman to provide for your needs." Dorea said before she kissed Sirius's cheek and went back downstairs.

Hermione blushed as Sirius pushed away from the doorframe of his bedroom and took her trunk from her, lifting it easily into her room. Hermione followed him in and her breath caught as she looked at her room. The ceilings were high and the carpet was red and fluffy. The fireplace took up most of one wall, and the king size canopy bed took up another. There was an armchair by the fireplace and a stand at the end of the bed where Sirius set down Hermione's trunk.

"It's so beautiful." Hermione breathed as she drank in the sight of the room.

"Yeah it is." Sirius murmured huskily. When Hermione glanced at him she found him staring at her with the same awed expression she wore looking at the room.

"Seeing something you like Black?" Hermione asked cheekily.

"You could say that" he grinned at her flirty tone "What about you 'Mione?"

Sirius asked, spreading his arms wide and daring Hermione to check him out.

Since they'd gotten here Sirius had changed into baggy grey track pants and one of his Quidditch jerseys. His hair hung in black waves about his handsome face and he wore blue socks on his feet. Felling bold, slowly Hermione let her gaze travel over him, starting with his high forehead and sparkling blue eyes, his button nose and strong jaw. His shoulders were broad and his arms and chest well muscled, in spite of Remus's attack last month, his jersey was snug, showing off his lithe form. His track pants hung low on his narrow hips. His pants were baggy but showed off his long legs just the same.

As her eyes swept back up his frame, they lingered on Sirius's abdomen, knowing that underneath his muscles were tight and as smooth as a washboard. Hermione bit her lip, remembering that his chest, abs, shoulders and arms were now covered in shiny pink scars. When he eye finally met his again Hermione gave him a cheeky smile.

"I suppose you're not all bad." She told him, liking the way Sirius's eyebrows rose as though he were insulted that she only thought he was just 'not bad'.

"That's what you're going to go with? Not bad?" Sirius demanded "Woman you've seen this body without these clothes and all I get is not bad?"

Hermione giggled at his outrage, "The only time I saw you without the clothes on you were trying to bleed to death on my floor Sirius. I had the far more important task of saving your life, rather than checking you out. And every other time you had your shirt off I was a little preoccupied with making sure your wounds were healing." Hermione told him.

"Speaking of the accident" the warm voice of Dorea Potter chimed in from the door way "James and Charlus have Lily entertained downstairs for the moment. Will you let me look at the damage Sirius?"

Sirius glanced at his adoptive mother and then at Hermione.

"You sure Evans is downstairs? Awful hard to explain these to her if she wanders in here while I'm showing you." Sirius said. Hermione smiled at the protectiveness in his voice for Remus.

"I'm sure. I think perhaps James might finally have a shot at winning her affections based on the way that girl is giggling." Dorea assured them.

Nodding Sirius tugged his shirt off over his head and moved deeper into Hermione's room so that the light from the fireplace would make it easier for Mrs Potter to inspect him.

Hermione bit her lip at the sight he made as he dropped his jersey on her floor and held his arms out in front of him to show Mrs Potter the claw marks down his arms as well as those on his chest and stomach. Because even thought the scarring on his body was pink and shiny in some places and still red and angry looking on his chest over his heart, Hermione couldn't help looking past them to the defined body beneath them.

Sirius had a faint six pack; his arms, chest and shoulders were built but wiry with youth and strength. And he had one of those V's that chiselled a defined line around his narrow hips and disappeared beneath his waistband. The light dusting of black hair's that led south from his belly button also disappeared below his waistband.

"Oh, my poor baby." Dorea said sadly as she moved towards him, her eyes scanning his injuries. Hermione wondered how his scars would look to her if she hadn't checked his wounds as often as he was healing and grown accustomed to seeing them. Remus had practically cried when Sirius had finally showed him the damage four days after the accident, refusing to do so before then for fear of actually making one of his best mates cry.

"Oh Sirius, you could have died." Dorea breathed. Sirius shrugged, looking at the floor. Hermione raised her eyebrows in shock.

"Sirius Black I'd best not be seeing what I think I'm seeing." Hermione interrupted Dorea's inspection as she caught sight of the gouges over his abs which had been left to heal without dittany. "You've been picking your scabs" Hermione accused angrily.

Sirius cringed at her. "No I haven't." he lied.

"If I catch you doing it again I'm going to hex all of your fingers together." Hermione told him, crossing her arms. Sirius looked away from her, his eyes landing on Mrs Potter.

"Hey, Mum, don't cry. It's not that bad." Sirius said softly, wiping at a tear on the woman's cheek.

"Oh Honey, you were so proud of how you looked, you used to be so perfect." She whispered sadly, her finger tracing the ugly scar that mangled the tissue of his chest over his heart. At her words Sirius hung his head, as though he were now ashamed of his body because of the scarring.

"He still is." Hermione heard her own voice defend him.

She was shocked at the anger in her tone as she spoke and as she searched her mind Hermione found herself outraged that Mrs Potter would say Sirius wasn't perfect or as attractive anymore because of his scars. Because she realised suddenly that Sirius was embarrassed by them and that he believed he was no longer appealing.

Sirius lifted his head and Hermione could see doubt shining in his eyes. She held his gaze "You still are Sirius" she told him sternly "Maybe you think my opinion doesn't count because it's my fault that you have your scars at all, but they don't detract from your appeal." Hermione offered him a crooked smile "Now you just have evidence of all the little hoes that have tried to get their claws on your heart. But trust me; they don't make you any less hot. Besides, some girls find scars a turn on."

To keep Mrs Potter and Sirius from seeing her blush at her own boldness, Hermione spun on her heel and walked out the door, she was just outside it when she heard Sirius say

"She has no idea that her opinion's the only one that matters to me."

SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/SB/HG/SB/HG.

The first night spent at the Potter's was eventful, it seemed that James and Sirius had learned their wit and humour from Charlus Potter, who had all of them laughing all the way through dinner. And afterwards he had insisted that they all indulge in wizard chess. As Hermione had watched James and Sirius verse each other she found herself missing Harry and Ron all over again and had excused herself to shower where no one could see her wistful expression and ask her about it.

The Potters were a fun family to be around and Hermione couldn't help the pleased smile she wore around them.

Things also seemed to be developing between James and Lily, who had managed to get through an entire day together with only one argument, which had been a playful one at that.

As she sat in the family room with the whole family, watching James and Lily verse each other at chess Hermione found herself daydreaming. All afternoon images of Sirius shirtless had been floating through her mind and Hermione day dreamed about what it would be like to have him hug her while shirtless. She also hadn't been able to stop her neck from tingling all afternoon after Sirius's most recent assault with his lips on her neck and her ear.

"Daydreaming about me 'Mione?" Sirius's familiar voice asked her softly. Hermione started when she realised Sirius was stretched on the couch next to her and had his head in her lap. Until now he had been showering while she daydreamed, another image she hadn't been able to get out of her mind.

"Your hair is wetting my pyjamas." Hermione complained at him to avoid answering the question. Sirius grinned up at her before lifting his head, his hair still dripping and proceeding to shake his head from side to side, whipping his hair about and spraying her with water just like a wet dog does when it shakes.

When he was done, he laughed at her and put his head back in her lap.

"You know" Hermione began mildly "Every time you leave the room I manage to convince myself that you can't possibly be as annoying as I believe, but the moment you walk back in you prove me wrong every time."

"I'd hate for you to forget." Sirius told her, grinning up at her from her lap.

"You're still wetting my pyjamas" Hermione told him, flicking him gently on the forehead.

This time when he sat up and began to shake, Hermione shoved him off the couch, but he was too quick for her, managing to snag his arms around her and drag her to his chest as he toppled to the floor laughing. Hermione began to wriggle in his arms, acutely aware of the fact the she was stretched out on top of him while the Potters and James and Lily looked on in amusement. They were also laughing, and their laughter increased when Sirius rolled them both over so that Hermione was pinned beneath him before rubbing his wet hair all over Hermione's face.

Hermione did the only thing she could think of as Sirius roared with laughter, catching hold of a handful of it and giving it a tug.

Sirius yelped and tried to roll away from her but Hermione had managed to get her legs around him and clung on as he rolled until she found herself straddling his groin and tugging on a fistful of his hair.

"Ouch 'Mione, not the hair!" Sirius cried.

"Merlin forbid we do any damage to your precious tresses." Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

"She knows you too well Padfoot, she's figured out your weakness." James told him, forgetting in his happiness that Lily didn't know about the boys being Animagi "Something else he can't stand Hermione, is being tickled." James told Hermione.

Laughing evilly Hermione began to tickle Sirius mercilessly while he yelled "Whose side are you on?" at James.

"Normally yours, but it's about time she got her revenge for all the awful things you do to her." James told his best friend and blood brother mildly before instructing his Queen to move to E5.

Beneath Hermione, Sirius writhed and giggled as she tickled him. Gasping for breath from exertion and laughter Sirius brought his arms up and started to tickle Hermione back. Hermione gasped. Being tickled was one of her worst weaknesses too, as she began to giggle she stopped tickling as much, allowing Sirius to roll them right back over as he tickled her with even more intensity.

Hermione gasped for breath to keep fighting him and realised suddenly that her legs were wrapped around his hips and his groin was pressed intimately against hers and his body pressed down on hers, pressing her against the sheepskin rug on the floor.

"Ahahaha… Sirius…. Hahaha…. Stop…. Stop… hahaha… stop" Hermione gasped at the boy torturing her. The friction caused from the two of them writhing as they tickled each other set Hermione's pulse racing because with each movement, Sirius's crotch ground against hers in a way that had Hermione wishing they were both naked.

As that thought occurred to her Hermione stopped fighting him, and stared up into his laughing blue eyes.

"You called for the stop first, that means I win." Sirius told her triumphantly, stopping tickling her and levering his torso up onto his hands to peer down at her. Suddenly it registered with him that they were very intimately pressed against each other, Hermione saw it register in his eyes as they darkened with lust and his arms bent a little as though he were going to lower himself close enough to kiss her. His lust filled eyes were fixed on her lips and Hermione panicked when she realised he was about to kiss her here in front of everyone. Even if she was dying to have him do just that.

Unfurling her legs from around his narrow hips Hermione said "Ok. You win this round." She was horrified at the breathiness of it, but her words seemed to jolt Sirius out of his trance, and he quickly rolled sideways off her.

"You don't fight fair poppet." He told her as he stretched out on his back next to her on the rug.

"You started it." Hermione countered, hoping that Mr and Mrs Potter hadn't seen how close she and Sirius had just come to kissing.

"Actually you did. You complained about my amazing hair." Everyone in the room snorted at his words and Hermione turned her head to look at him.

"Sirius?" she said, waiting for him to look at her. When he did, Hermione smiled at him "You're an idiot. You know that right?"

"She's got a point mate." James threw into the conversation, clearly unaware that two of his best friends had almost kissed.

Slowly Hermione got to her feet and looked down at Sirius, he wore black and red striped pyjama pants and a tattered grey t-shirt, his hair drying in waves around his head on the rug. Catching her eye Sirius held up his arms.

"Help me up 'Mione?" he pleaded her. Hermione snorted.

"Why on earth would I help you up? You dragged me onto the ground."

"You pushed me."

"You shook your hair all over me like a bad dog." Hermione said her tone cheeky as she called him a bad dog.

"You implied my hair was less than perfect by complaining about it."

"It is less than perfect. It looks like matted fur." Hermione told him cheekily.

"Ooh low blow Hermione, low blow." James told her as Lily laughed at them

"How could you say that?" Sirius wailed dramatically, sitting up and clutching his locks. "I thought you cared about me!" he cried "HAVE YOU NO HEART?" Sirius howled like the dog he could turn into.

On the other side of the room Crookshanks woke up spitting and hissing, hair standing on end at the howling sound emitting from Sirius's throat. Sirius didn't heed the warning though, and as he continued to howl Crookshanks leapt off the lounge, fur standing on end, yowling as he flew across the room and launched himself at Sirius.

"ARGH MONSTER!" Sirius Howled, antagonizing the kitten further as he caught the hissing, raging ball of orange fur around the middle before he could latch himself onto Sirius's face.

Sirius yelped when the kitten swiped at his arms and hands with unsheathed claws and drew blood.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione said sharply when Sirius dropped the kitten, spots of his blood beading on his skin where the kitten had clawed him. Crookshanks hissed at Hermione but stopped attacking Sirius. "Come here." Hermione said sternly when the kitten attempted to slink away.

The angry little monster leapt up onto her lap and flopped down. There was a quality to it as though he knew he was being reprimanded for his behaviour, and like a grumpy child, crossing his arms over his chest in defiance. "You've had a trying day haven't you, my darling Crookshanks?" Hermione asked the kitten softly.

"Are you ok Sirius?" Hermione asked of the boy as he began licking the beads of blood off his newest wounds. Sirius narrowed his eyes at her kitten and kept licking "You got what you deserved and you know it." Hermione told him cheekily.

"There, now baby, the nasty boy will know better next time won't he?" Hermione said to her kitten, stroking him gently. Sirius glared at her as he continued to lick at his wounds like an animals.

"Black you do realise that what you're doing is disgusting, right?" Lily told him, wore a grossed out expression as Sirius licked his blood.

Mrs. Potter pulled out her wand and aimed it at Sirius, waving it until the surface cuts healed over.

"Thanks Mum." Sirius aid, getting up and going over to her, squashing himself into the armchair next to her and cuddling her, all the while glaring at Hermione and Lily "At least someone loves me." He said in the voice of a pouting child.

"I love you Sirius!" James piped up excitedly, leaping to his feet. Sirius mirrored his actions and they fell into each other's arms in the middle of the room, pretending to sob their love for each other.

"Sissies. Look what you've done Dorea, turned our boys into a pair of sissies." Charlus said sounds disappointed and disgusted even as he grinned at the boys.

"Did you hear what he said about us Sirius?" James said, sounding offended.

"Why would he say such nasty things to his favourite daughters?" Sirius pretended to sob. James hugged his friend close, and began slyly plaiting Sirius's hair at the back while pretending to stroke it soothingly.

"Oi!" Sirius cried when he realised what was going on "How many times do I have to tell you not to touch the hair?" Sirius asked him mildly as he caught James in a bear hug and wrestled him to the ground.

"Oh you mean this hair?" James said, tugging on a lock of it that hung over Sirius's face. Sirius roared at him and the wrestling began, each of them throwing punches and laughing as they seemed to get ahead, only to be beaten back by the other over and over again.

"Just a pair of Drama Queens" Lily said, laughing along with Hermione as James and Sirius paused in their wrestling. Sirius had James in a headlock, but James had managed to lever himself around and get his legs around his friend, squeezing his knees together on Sirius's stomach.

"What did she call us?" James whispered loudly to Sirius "What did she say about us?"

"I think she called us drama queens. As if she's never been insulted and called a sissy by her father." Sirius whispered back just as loudly.

"Pathetic isn't it?" Hermione appealed to Lily "They're always like this. I swear they're one true love in life is each other." Hermione said as she rolled her eyes.

"Did you hear what she said about us James?" Sirius cried.

"We mustn't let them get away with being so nasty to us Sirius." James responded, nodding his head emphatically.

"You're right James." Sirius said. Slowly they let go of each other. "I'll get 'Mione. You get yours."

"Now you've done it. Run girls. Run while they're still tangled up together!" Charlus yelled, laughing as Sirius and James rolled away from each other and leapt to their feet. Hermione lifted Crookshanks off her and put him on the couch before her and Lily both sprinted from the room, Sirius and James on their tails.

"Run Lily, if we split up we'll have a better chance." Hermione cried, laughing as she ran from Sirius.

"Potter I'll hex you!" Hermione heard Lily scream moments before she shrieked from somewhere in the kitchen.

"I'm going to get you 'Mione!" Sirius yelled from behind her, chuckling evilly.

"You've got to catch me first Black, and we both know I'm more agile than you." Hermione yelled back at him, sprinting up the stairs three at a time.

"Maybe so, but I know the house better, and this corridor is a dead end." Sirius told her as Hermione fled down the hallway where her bedroom was. Realising he was right Hermione side stepped through the open door next to her, realising too late that she had just stumbled into Sirius's bedroom.

"Now your mine." Sirius told her, kicking the door closed behind him as he skidded into his room in his socks. Hermione glanced around for an escape but found none. Her mind rushed and came up with the best solution being to have space between them so she could trick him into letting her back out. Leaping up onto his bed Hermione tried to dive across the other side, but Sirius caught her legs and dragged her back towards him. Hermione screamed when Sirius pinned her beneath him on his bed.

Her head swam with the scent of him, fresh timber and grass and leather and diesel permeated his entire room and his bed smelled divine as her nose rested on is duvet and his body pressed down on her deliciously. Easing himself off her, Sirius lifted himself just enough so that he could flip her over to face him, before lowering himself back down on top of her. They were stretched out on his massive bed and they both panted with exertion.

Hermione squirmed beneath him, trying to get away, subconsciously lifting her hips as she fought for escape. Sirius groaned as she did. Hermione froze and met Sirius's gaze. His blue eyes scorched her with heat as his lustful gaze fell on her lips. Hermione could feel something hard and unfamiliar poking her where his groin rested above hers.

"Merlin you're beautiful." Sirius whispered to her, still watching her lips.

Hermione's whole body kicked into overdrive as she realised they were alone in his room with the door closed. His scent in her nose was filling her head Hermione was dying to know what it would feel like to kiss his smooth lips. Slowly, Sirius dipped his head towards her, his hands catching hers and his fingers intertwining themselves with hers, dragging them until they were pinned above her head.

"You have no idea how badly I want you." Sirius's voice was low and husky as his lips brushed against her ear.

Pleasure ran across Hermione's skin and shot through her veins, delving deep and pooling beneath her abdomen.

"I think I might know." Hermione whispered back to Sirius as his mouth found her throat and scorched a trail of hot kisses down one side, his tongue flicking out and teasing the skin where her pulse fluttered wildly as her heart pounded out an unsteady rhythm. Hermione heard the soft moan that escaped her lips and the wicked chuckle Sirius gave at the sound. His teeth nipped at her flesh gently and Hermione heard the throaty moan that escaped her as liquid heat pooled between her legs.

Merlin she want him.

"Still think I'm just a dog to women and going to use you and then discard you 'Mione?" Sirius asked her softly, his lips pressed against her ear again as he rocked his hips against hers. Unbidden Hermione felt her legs slide open to accommodate him, bringing him even closer as his hips nestled in the cradle hers made.

"You're not exactly proving me wrong." Hermione murmured to him. Sirius lifted his chest up a little and peered down into her face.

Hermione was acutely aware of the fact that they were holding hands. And that his hips continued to roll that lump in his pants against the centre of her body. And that his face was well within kissing distance. If she lifted her face an inch they would be kissing.

"So how do I prove to you that I only want you?" Sirius whispered to her "How do I make you believe that since you got here I haven't wanted anyone but you? That I've never wanted anyone the way I want you?"

Hermione felt her heart give a tiny flutter at his words.

"How do I know you haven't said that to every other girl?" Hermione countered, distracted by the way his hips rolled against her so deliciously. "How do I know you only feel like that because I'm the only girl who's ever turned you down?"

"I wanted you like this before you turned me down." Sirius murmured "I wanted you like this from the second you flashed into existence on the Quidditch pitch five weeks ago. I want you so bad I don't even see other girls anymore."

Sirius rolled away from her with a groan and scrubbed his hands across his face.

"Hermione I…."

Hermione interrupted him when she caught sight of something red staining the front of her pyjama shirt.

"Sirius, are you bleeding?" she said sitting up quickly and realising that Sirius also had a red stain on his shirt. Hermione lifted the shirt up off his abs and gasped.

The gouges on his stomach that had been slowly healing had torn open and they oozed blood in heavy beads.

"Fuck!" Sirius cursed when he saw the wound.

"You must have torn it when you were wrestling with James." Hermione said, pressing his shirt against the wound as more blood well there.

"Fuck" Sirius said again. "You're going to have to lose the pyjama shirt 'Mione." Sirius told her. "James is likely to barge in here with Evans any minute now and she can't know about my injuries. She'll ask too many questions about how I got them. And cleaning spells don't work very well on blood."

"Um, ok but how are we going to explain to her why I'm suddenly topless?"

"You can wear this. Tell her I accidently ripped your shirt when I tackled you or something." Sirius said, tossing his Quidditch jersey at her. It hit Hermione across the face and his scent lingered in it, as he'd worn it all day.

Hermione didn't even think before pulling her shirt off over her head, exposing her pale purple bra and half naked body to his hot gaze.

"Bloody Hell woman!" Sirius exclaimed, shocked to see Hermione in just her bra.

"Shut your eyes if you have a problem with the view." She told him before pulling on his jersey. It was too big on her, but comfortable and it smelled divine.

"I swear you'll be my undoing." Sirius muttered as he found a new shirt for himself that matched the one he'd ruined with his blood. He raided his trunk for essence of dittany and smeared some over the wound, sealing it again, this time without a scab.

Moments later the door flew open and James waltzed in with Lily Evans cradled bridal style in his arms.

"Alright I've got mine, now what are we going to do to them?" James swaggered cockily "You let yours go?" he demanded when he saw that Sirius stood a few meters from Hermione.

"Is everything ok?" Lily asked "Hermione why are you wearing Black's jersey?"

"Seems this one likes to play rough. When Sirius tacked me my pyjama shirt tore apart." Hermione lied smoothly, noticing out of the corner of her eyes that Sirius kicked both of their blood stained shirts under his bed.

"I vote we tie them up and tickle them until they beg for mercy." Sirius said wickedly, his eyes fixed on Hermione and clearly still picturing the view she had just given him of what lay beneath his jersey. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him before turning to Lily in horror. Only Lily didn't return the expression, she was too busy peering at James dreamily.

"Oh, My God!" Hermione said, glancing at Sirius to see if he noticed it too.

Lily's hair hung loose of her hair tie and her top lip was just a little bit swollen.

"Sirius do you see what I see?" Hermione said in a sing-song voice. He raised his eyebrows at her.

"What? What do you see?" Lily asked. She was still cradled in James's arms with her arms around his neck.

"You guys totally kissed!" Hermione exclaimed in shock. Lily flushed as red as her hair while James grinned proudly.

"What?" Sirius demanded "For real?" he asked James. James nodded heartily, earning him hit upside the head from Lily as she fought to get out of his arms.

"Sirius do you believe it? I feel so left out." Hermione said a peel of laughter escaping her as her happiness for both of them welled up inside her.

"Hey, any time you want to feel like you're not left out anymore, you know where to find me." Sirius said cheekily, he smiled as James and Lily laughed but Hermione could see the glow in his eyes that meant he was serious about what he said.

"How did you know?" Lily demanded, too busy staring at Hermione in shock to notice when James slid his arms around her waist.

"Your lips are swollen." Hermione told her "Oh I'm so happy for you guys. I thought you'd never get it together and admit it."

"Seriously? You thought that?" Sirius interrupted her "You've only known us five weeks; I've spent the last five years listening to James harp on about how in love he is with her."

James chuckled at Sirius's grumbling while Lily's cheeks flamed as red as her hair.

"Yeah, but you listened for so long that you'd lost faith in them. I knew all along that eventually James would convince Lily that he wasn't just an arrogant toe-rag." Hermione said, grinning at her friends "I had complete trust in the fact that eventually Lily would realise that James is a charming, arrogant toe-rag."

Lily began to laugh at Hermione's words. And Hermione grinned when she realised it was bordering on hysterical because she clearly had no idea when her life had taken such a turn that she had just this evening kissed the boy she had hated passionately for years.

"I'm not a toe-rag." James said indignantly, letting go o Lily as she doubled over laughing so hard "Everyone knows that feet are disgusting." James said haughtily, making Lily laugh even harder. Hermione giggled right along with her when she saw the way James wrinkled his nose in disgust.

Sirius snorted as Hermione flopped back on his bed and stared up at the black canopy above her.

"I still vote we tie them both up and tickle them until they bed us for mercy." He said, sounding amused and wicked all at the same time where he leant against his bedroom wall watching the people around him.

Hermione wasn't paying attention though; she was too busy looking around at the bedroom Sirius called his. His bed was a king size, and his room had the same fluffy red carpet at hers did, but Sirius's room had the homey touches of an actual bedroom, rather than a guest room. And it had the distinct air of being the bedroom of a teenage boy. Posters of his favourite Quidditch teams and favourite bands lined the wall, and Hermione wasn't at all surprised to see a poster for the Sex Pistols amid the many wizarding band posters. The mantel over his fireplace was lined with photo frames almost all of which depicted the Marauders. In one, Hermione noticed a boy who looked remarkably like Sirius, yet stood next to Sirius, both smiling for the camera.

His trunk was open on the stand at the end of his bed, revealing the way he had clearly stuffed in anything he thought he might need, probably at the last minute. His closet also hung open, revealing that it was just as messy. Hermione rolled her eyes, wondering if the messiness she had always admonished Harry and Ron for was actually just a trait linked t the Y chromosome.

"Sirius Black if you even try to tie me up" Hermione threatened, knowing without looking at him that he had begun to creep towards her "I'll hit you with the most intense Tickling Jinx you've ever experienced." She told him, twirling her wand as she glanced at him.

"You're not allowed to use magic outside of school until your seventeen." He told her triumphantly. Knowing he was right and that he wouldn't have pointed it out if the Potters didn't enforce the school rule, Hermione flicked her legs up and over her head, backward somersaulting out of Sirius's reach as he attempted to pounce on her.

"Get her Padfoot!" James cried as he locked his arms around Lily again and lifted her off her feet while she writhed as she tried to escape him. "I've got an even better idea than tickling them. I think these ladies could use a swim don't you?"

Hermione laughed teasingly as she danced out of Sirius's reach, using his height against him as she ducked out of his reach again and again.

"You might as well just give in to me 'Mione" Sirius whispered at her as James blocked the door and Hermione's escape. There was a twinkle in his eyes as he spoke and Hermione knew from the heat in his gaze that he meant she should not only give in trying to escape him now, but that she should stop resisting the attraction between them. His blue eyes looked her up and down as he backed her into a corner, lingering on the swell of her breast, the dip of her waist. Hermione grinned wickedly when he licked his lips as though she were his favourite dish and he was about to take a bite.

"You know I'm going to catch you 'Mione." He told her, stalking closer. Hermione let her gaze travel down his body, and let him catch her eyes lingering on his body before she grinned at him just as wickedly. If he wants to play this game then he had to be ready for her to play too. After all, Hermione had strived her entire life to be the best at everything she did, and if Sirius Black wanted to play the deadly game of teasing and attraction with her then she would be herself and be the best at it.

"You want me to catch you 'Mione." Sirius whispered knowingly, his smile wicked and his eyes filled with mischief.

"Baby what makes you think you could hold me even of you could catch me?" Hermione asked, her voice sultry, her eyes teasing.

Sirius's eyes went wide at her teasing words and Hermione giggled as she leapt past him while he was distracted, sprinting to the door and bounding past James who was still busy trying to keep a hold of Lily. Sirius roared as Hermione escaped, and she heard the husky laugh that came from her throat as she sprinted away into the mansion that the Potters called home.

Most of the corridors were dark and since James had yet to get around to giving Hermione and Lily a tour, Hermione ran blind through the corridors, skidding around corners and slipping through doorways until she was completely lost. She had run so far that she had managed to temporarily lose Sirius and James either still had hold of Lily or she had escaped and run somewhere else in the house. Slowing her pace Hermione realised she was currently in some sort of drawing room, much like the one at Sirius's house that she had helped the Order of the Phoenix clean up and clear of messy and magical creatures that had taken up residence in the long time in had been uninhabited. Hermione could make out several lounges and a coffee table and wondered if this was the type of room that Mrs Potter would use when entertaining several guests.

In the dark Hermione couldn't see much, but she didn't risk lighting her wand tip in case Sirius was nearby. She needed just a moment, alone in the dark with her thoughts as they ran wild and wreaked havoc in her mind.

In spite of being in the seventies for five weeks, Hermione still felt like she was turned around and confused. She missed her friends, clearly more than she had allowed herself to feel if today's breakdown on the train had been any indication. But for tall that she missed them, she felt happy here. She didn't have to spend every waking moment listening to Harry scheming about Voldemort. She didn't have to be ready at a moment's notice to defend herself against the disgusting images of Ron and Lavender, shattering her heart with their actions. She didn't have to go out of her way to avoid the friend she loved because they were breaking her heart. She didn't have to deal with Harry's anger and incredible ignorance.

It had always bothered Hermione that Harry hadn't done more research into the magical world, that he hadn't gone about trying to learn as much about Voldemort as he could when his whole life seemed to revolve around the evil wizard.

Instead her biggest concerns here were getting perfect grades and spending time with James and Sirius and Remus and Peter and Lily, occasionally getting drawn into a duel with the Marauders when they started on the Slytherins, though they had been behaving more since she had arrived, only defending themselves in duel when they didn't start it. Malfoy and Snape had been trying to do her in since her attack, but they seemed hesitant to be straight out and open about it, probably because Hermione had proven that she was far more skilled than they had believed.

Her only other concern was slowly tailoring her life here to ensure the future she had known would never become a reality. She made sure to keep to herself the truth that she had been blasted back twenty years in time, made sure to keep from her friends that in the time she had known, James , Lily and Sirius had all been dead, made sure they never knew of the son and godson the three of them had left behind.

Because they were secrets her friends didn't need to know. Not when Hermione was working towards achieving a future where none of those awful things came to be. Hermione smiled as she thought of the first kiss James and Lily had shared this evening. She remembered Harry telling her once that his parents hadn't gotten together until seventh year, yet Hermione's influence during this time had them already kissing by Christmas of sixth year. She couldn't be happier to know that her presence was actually making a difference, and as Hermione though about it, for the first time since arriving here she felt a ripple of hope fill her. The task she had given herself was monumental, but maybe, just maybe she could achieve it.

Sinking onto one of the lounges in the dark Hermione though about the other issue currently taking up brain space. Sirius Black.

Her actions and words before she ran away had been bold, but Hermione didn't regret them. She was attracted to Sirius, and from what she had learned of him in the five weeks she had been here she was intrigued and infatuated with him. Hormone wasn't certain she could say she was in love with him; after all she had never really experienced a relationship. Her friendship with Viktor Krum had resulted in chaste kisses and one very steamy kiss; however she hadn't let things go beyond that kiss, in spite of Viktor pestering.

She had never kissed anyone else.

Yet Sirius Black made her feel tingly all over whenever he shot her a hot look and when he cheekily pressed kisses to her neck, as he had done on his bed Hermione had felt like a quivering jelly on a plate. She felt all wobbly and off centre and like she wanted him to do it again. Really wanted him to.

Which she blamed entirely on the fact that her body had finally begun to recognise the feelings of desire and curiosity and sexual pleasure. Part of Hermione knew that her attraction to him was that same old story that every girl knew so well, the dangerously addictive feeling of being drawn to the bad boy, the guy who is so incredibly handsome and surrounded by an air of mystery. And everything about Sirius Black, from his rebelliously long hair, his leather jacket, all the way down to his booted feet spelled trouble.

That same part of Hermione knew that it was his mischievous smile and that indescribable twinkle in his blue eyes that had drawn in so many girls before her. Hermione smirked to herself in the dark.

Sirius Black had used all of those things about him to his advantage and broken countless hearts, just as his smile promised he would even as his charm drew you in. But two could play that game. Hermione knew she wanted Sirius, and she knew he wanted her back. But as Hermione twirled her wand in the dark drawing room of Potter Manor a brilliant idea occurred to Hermione.

No she wouldn't be just another notch on Sirius Black's belt. She would be the girl who stole his heart as he had done to so many others, she would be the girl he went insane with desire for, she would be the only girl he wanted for the rest of her life.

For just a moment Hermione felt self doubt creep into her mind, but she brushed it aside, in her own time she knew a few boys had been interested in her, and that was when she had done nothing to draw them to her. Hermione smiled, she would become the female version of Sirius Black, she would let loose the rebellious side of herself which she had always held in, chasing that feeling she had experienced the night she and her friends had travelled from Hogwarts to the Ministry last year, chasing the thrill that came with doing something wrong even if it was for the right reasons.

People at school would probably speculate about what had occurred over Christmas when she returned, but Hermione had the perfect plan, because if she was going to become a sexy, tease who used her innocence to her advantage and made bys like Sirius Black yearn to possess her, she was going to drag Lily Evans along with her and then sit back and watch the relationship between James and Lily skyrocket from prickly into a whole new realm of desirable.

Just as she was about to get to her feet Hermione heard a soft sound. Peering through the darkness her eyes landed on the form of a massive black dog with floppy ears padding towards her. The laugh that fell from her lips was throaty and husky and sultry.

"Well If it isn't Sirius Black, your friendly neighbourhood puppy dog." Hermione murmured to him "Tell me Sirius, does it bother you that I often prefer your company as a dog, you know, when you can't talk?" Hermione teased him.

Sirius chuffed at her. Slowly he padded closer and when he was right in front of her he put his front paws up on the couch on either side of Hermione. When he had her trapped he transformed.

"James has suggested I make the change permanent too" Sirius murmured, his face inches from her, staring into Hermione's eyes. "I told you I'd catch you."

Hermione chuckled at him "But are you sure you've caught me Sirius? Because it feels more like I caught you."

Sirius tilted his head to one side "You ran and I caught you."

Hermione laughed sultrily again and leant forwards until she could whisper into Sirius's ear "Not the way you yearn to." She whispered, allowing her lips to brush against the shell of his ear as she spoke

"I will though." Sirius's voice was low and husky and his hands moved from the cushions on either side of her to rest on her thighs.

Hermione laughed softly and got to her feet, forcing Sirius to stand up straight. Once she stood Hermione stepped in until her breasts brushed against Sirius's chest, letting her hands move to his waist and she could whisper into his ear again "Sweetie, by the time that happens you'll be hooked on me for the rest of your life."

Over the hammering of her heartbeat, she could hear the itch in Sirius's breath when she pressed her lips against his throat. His hands on her hips tightened and pulled her closer as Hermione brought her hand up to press against the other side of his neck, kissing lightly at first before applying more pressure as his head dropped back in pleasure. Hermione let the hand she still had on his waist creep beneath the hem of his shirt and up his back as Sirius used his grip on her hips to roll them against himself. Hermione pressed kisses against his throat until she heard his soft groan.

Kissing her way up his neck, Hermione paused to nibble on his earlobe before murmuring huskily into his ear

"Game on, Sirius Black."


	12. Bad Influences

**A/N: More You cried! and so more has appeared! I have to say i'm a little proud of myself for having written ten thousand words today. Also i apologise for all the times my computer auto corrects Hermione to hormone. it's very annoying. But i hope you love the new chapter. I figured i leave you a lovely cliff hanger so that you can day dream about what will happen when the girls knock. Many thanks again for all the reviews, and i know i promised that i'd update Take the Tumble and i know i'm neglecting Wild Things as well, but i'm completely hooked on Them Boys at the moment. I**'**ll try to get a new chapter ready for each of them, but no promises right now. Please review and let me know what you think of this one while you wait with baited breath for the next one. Much Love xxx-Kitten.**

Chapter 12: Bad Influences.

Sirius froze as he heard Hermione whisper those words in his ear. Hermione laughed sultrily again and she could feel the way Sirius's body twitched at the sound. When his hands slid from her hips to rest on her behind and he pulled his earlobe out of her mouth, Hermione raised her eyebrows. Through the gloom Sirius peered down at her, that heart-breaker smile was back on his handsome face and his eyes practically glowed with lust.

"Are you sure you want to play this game with me 'Mione?" He asked her, his voice low and rough with desire.

Unable to believe what she was doing, but doing it all the same, Hermione gently thrust her hips against his, letting a teasing smirk play on her lips.

"Why wouldn't I?" She murmured to him "Especially when I already know that I'm going to win." Hermione laughed as he quirked one eyebrow doubtfully and she stroked her hand down the side of his face "But you might as well bring you're a-game, it'll be fun to watch you try to beat me."

Sirius's chuckle was the epitome of wickedness.

"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into Hermione." He murmured to her "Should we cover the rules now, so that there are no misunderstandings when you're writhing beneath me?" he asked her cockily.

"Day dreaming again Black?" Hermione flirted, dragging her nails lightly down his back beneath his shirt as she rolled her hips "But why impede on my fun by issuing rules. By the time I'm finished with you, you'll be begging for me on your knees." Hermione told him rubbing against him one more time before pulling out of his arms and sashaying towards the door.

When she stood in the doorway Hermione glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Sirius where he stood staring at her hungrily.

"Oh and Sirius?" Hermione murmured "No hard feelings when I have your heart wrapped around my little finger ok?"

Flicking her hair as she had seen other girls do, Hermione left Sirius alone in the dark drawing room.

HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB

When Hermione woke the next morning she stretched languidly and chuckled to herself remembering the expression on Sirius's face when he had rejoined her, James and Lily in James's room. He had smirked wickedly, but when James asked him what was so amusing he had shaken his head and told his best friend it was nothing.

Hermione smiled knowing that this was a game that tested the strength of will. After all, it would ultimately come down to which one of them gave in first. Sirius would fall to his knees and declare his undying love to her or Hermione would give in to her hormones and end up doing something she would probably regret.

Rolling out of bed Hermione went to the dresser and assessed her appearance in the mirror. Pulling out her wand Hermione murmured the words of the little spell she had learned in fourth year, convincing her wild morning hair to hang in neat loose curls. Getting to her feet, Hermione glanced down at her clothes. She had ditched her pyjama pants last night and only wore underwear and Sirius's Quidditch jersey. It was long and hung over her bottom to just a little bit above mid-thighs.

Hermione smirked hoping that Sirius was already awake and preferably that she would run into him when she left the room to wander down to Lily's. After all, Hermione intended to recruit Lily in her mission, though perhaps not by admitting her whole plan. Glancing at her reflection one last time Hermione giggled and tip toed over to the door, letting herself out into the hall. Sirius's door was open but Hermione couldn't see him so she turned down the corridor towards Lily's room.

And ran into Sirius.

He happened to be shirtless as he wandered along scratching at his scarred chest, wearing nothing but his black and red striped pyjama pants.

"Good Morning" Hermione purred at him.

Sirius looked startled for a moment before that wicked grin spread across his face. When he'd run into her his hands had landed on her hips.

"Good morning 'Mione" he greeted her cheerfully, still grinning wickedly. His hands lingered on her waist for a moment before he stepped back from her, his eyes sweeping up and down her body.

"Did you sleep well Sirius?" Hermione asked him, her eyes feasting on the view of him half naked in front of her. His long hair was mussed from sleep and he looked incredibly sexy as his eyes lingered on her bare legs.

"Sure did." He murmured, stepping back towards her and wrapping his arms around her in a hug.

Hermione wasn't surprised by his actions. Even when they were at school he hugged her most mornings. Hermione smirked when she felt his nose in her hair and heard him take a deep breath in. She couldn't blame him though, not when her face was pressed against his sleep-warmed bare chest and his diesel and timber scent permeated her senses. His arms around her felt amazing and Hermione grinned as an excellent idea struck her. Before he could pull away Hermione wrapped her arms around his narrow hips and turned her face so she could press a soft kiss to his chest.

Sirius's chuckle in response set Hermione's heart racing.

"When do I get my jersey back 'Mione?" Sirius asked her, voice low "Because if you keep doing that, I'll be taking it back right now as I drag you into my room and have my way with you."

Hermione laughed at his words and pressed another kiss to his skin, this time bending a little and pressing it directly to his right nipple.

"Sirius you wrecked my only pyjama shirt, so this jersey's mine now." Hermione told him "What else would I wear to bed?" Hermione pretended to fret at him before pressing another kiss against his now hard nipple.

"You could always wear me to bed." He growled at her, clearly enjoying the feel of her lips against his nipple.

Hermione pulled back from him with a wicked smirk "You're not really my colour." She told him cheekily before stepping around him and continuing on down the hall wearing only his jersey. She could feel his eyes on her as she sashayed up the hallway.

"You really would, wouldn't you?" He growled. Hermione turned back to face him, raising her eyebrows at him innocently.

"I really would what?" she asked.

"Come out here looking like that, tease me like crazy and then walk away with my name scrawled across your back as though all you did was say good morning." Sirius demanded. For just a moment Hermione let her expression turn sultry and she winked at him.

"Sweetie you hug me every morning." She said innocently "Was there something different about it for you this morning?"

Sirius's face darkened but Hermione just smiled at him innocently before turning away and walking to Lily's door. When she knocked she heard Sirius's door slam shut and Hermione was still giggling when a sleepy eyed, messy haired Lily answered the door.

"Good morning Lily." Hermione smiled sweetly at her friend as she entered her friend's bedroom.

"Morning." Lily mumbled sleepily. "What are you doing here with no pants on?"

"This is long enough that I don't need pants. But anyway I've been thinking lately that I need a make-over. You know, like new school, new life, new look." Hermione told her.

"That sounds sort of fun." Lily said, curling up in bed again and watching Hermione as she crawled into the bed on the other side. "Do you just mean something like different hair cut or a whole new look with new clothes and everything?" Lily asked her.

"Well I was hoping we could catch a bus back into London today and you and me could do some shopping, maybe go to a muggle beauty shop, and maybe get some new clothes. What do you think, would you be interested in helping me?" Hermione asked her.

"It sounds really fun. I sort of want to do it too. I've been wearing the same sort of clothes forever. And James mentioned a New Year's Ball and I have nothing to wear to a formal ball. This could be so fun. Do you mind if I copy your idea and try to reinvent myself a little too?" Lily asked her. "It's just that I think I'm really starting to like James. Especially after last night."

Hermione grinned "He was your first kiss wasn't he?"

Lily nodded, blushing shyly.

"Don't be shy about it Lily, I think it's wonderful. My first kiss was in fourth year. But I think it would be really fun if we do this together. We could even leave as soon as we're dressed and get breakfast when we get there. That way we won't have the boys tagging along all day." Hermione suggested.

"Oh Hermione you're a genius. We can leave them a note and we'll go now. I have enough muggle money in my purse to get us into London, and then we can stop at Diagon Alley and exchange some money at Gringotts." Lily said excitedly, throwing back the covers and crawling back out of bed.

"Ok I'll go and get dressed and leave the boys a note. If we actually tell them where we're going they'll want to tag along. We'll tell them we're having a girl's day." Hermione chirped happily "Dress warmly, it snowed overnight."

Hermione rushed back to her room and dug around in her trunk until she found her favourite pair of jeans. She paired them with one of the band shirts she had bought in Hogsmede, one which Sirius incidentally had a poster of on his wall. Hermione dug out her high boots and her heavy suede coat along with a thick blue woollen scarf. Snatching her purse up Hermione dug around in it and found some muggle money that Dumbledore had given her.

_**Dear James and Sirius, **_

_**Lily and I have decided that we are having a girl's day today. We have gone into London by Bus. We will return this afternoon. Have a nice day.**_

_**Love Hermione.**_

Hermione scrawled out a note for the boys to find and left it on her bed before hurrying down the hallway just as lily came out of her room wearing boots, flared black pants, and a heavy brown coat.

"I just remembered we can take the Knight Bus, so we can use wizard money and we won't have to switch buses. Not to mention that the closest town is a few miles from here." Hermione told Lily as they descended the stairs and hurried out of the house before the boys could hear them leaving.

When they were outside the Potter's grounds Hermione threw out her wand arm emphatically and both her and Lily fell backwards as the triple Decker purple bus. A young guy jumped down the steps but Hermione asked him for two tickets to London before he could welcome them to the bus.

"James is going to think I panicked about kissing him." Lily said as they sat on beds close to the door.

"No he won't. I hope. I left them a not saying we were in London for a girl's day." Hermione reassured her.

"I still can't believe I kissed him. I don't know what I was thinking. I mean, I told you that I had started to like him, but when he caught me last night, all of a sudden I realised that I really fancy him. And when he tackled me he was so sweet about making sure that I didn't get hurt that I just reached over and kissed him." Lily blurted. Hermione glanced over at her and smiled.

"I think it's really cute. And he's been in love with you forever." Hermione told her "And don't look so doubtful, that boy has been running his heart ragged trying to get you to go out with him since he was twelve years old and you know it."

"But you told me he got sick of it and that was why he went on that date with the fat little fifth year." Lily said.

"Erm… about that… I may have put him up to it. Because he was so completely obsessed with you and it just annoyed you all the more that he had the audacity to recover from your rejections so quickly only to ask you out again. I suggested that maybe you would like him more if you thought maybe he wasn't such an insensitive snot. I told him that if he wanted to get your attention he had to first deprive you of his." Hermione admitted.

"Seriously? Hermione I was convinced he'd moved on from me. At first I was relieved, but then Britney asked me what it was like to be cast aside by the only guy who'd shown interest in me that wasn't tangled up in the dark arts." Lily pouted.

"I'm sorry. But it worked, after a few days of him not constantly begging for your attention you realised how much you relied on it, started to miss it and then started to notice some of the good things about him, rather than just the annoying things." Hermione offered "And you can pout all you like, but if I hadn't suggested the whole thing in the first place you would have spent Christmas alone at Hogwarts because you would have refused to come to James's because you'd still hate him, and we wouldn't be friends like we are and you wouldn't have the fluttery feeling in you tummy because he kissed you last night."

"How do you know my tummy is still fluttering?" Lily asked, shocked.

Hermione smiled knowingly "Your tummy will never stop fluttering like that again Lily. Because kissing is wonderful and every time you think about it you want to do it all over again and then it just builds from there."

"You said your first kiss was in fourth year. What was his name? What was he like?"

"Oh he was nice. Really popular, but he sort of loathed all the attention. He was shy and gruff at first, but once I got to know him a little he was so sweet."

"How old was he?"

"Erm… he was actually seventeen at the time." Hermione admitted, blushing as the hopped off the bus outside the Leaky Cauldron.

"Oh wow, but then that works for some people, my parents are muggles, but my Dad is five years older than my Mum." Lily said, tucking her hair behind her ears as Hermione led the way through the smoky pub and tapped the right bricks with her wand to enter Diagon Alley.

"Yes, my parents had a difference in their ages of seven years." Hermione said before remembering that in this time her parents were supposed to be dead and hadn't married. "But his name was Viktor. He was from Bulgaria."

"That's how you know about the fluttery feeling?" Lily asked. Hermione nodded as they strolled along Diagon Alley "And have you kissed anyone else?"

Hermione hesitated before answering

"Erm… yes, actually. Just one other boy. But it didn't really give me that fluttery feeling. I mean it was a nice kiss, but there were no sparks." Hermione could feel herself blushing.

"Ooh look at that blush. Do I know him?" Lily teased "Oh gosh it wasn't James, was it?"

Hermione laughed "No, no it wasn't James. He reminds me far too much of one of my friends who was more like a brother to me than anything else. Besides he's only ever had eyes for you."

"Who was it then? Oh my goodness, Hermione is there something going on between you and Black. You're really close, and he's always been a cad with girls. Was it Black that you kissed?"

"No. No it wasn't Sirius either. Actually it was Remus. Not long after I got here. You remember when he had to go home to visit his grandmother that was ill? Well, he was so worried and stressed and we were supposed to go to that Quidditch match in the storm, but Remus insisted I needed a warmer jacket, something waterproof. He tried to lend me his, but something about me wearing his jacket sort of set him off and all his worry channelled into a kiss."

"Oh Wow. You've snogged Remus Lupin? Do you have any idea how many girls in school want to do that? Not as many as want to snog Black, but he's awful and actually snogs them and leads them on. Unless Remus sees some sort of relationship happening he doesn't even say hello to them. But you've snogged him. Isn't it awkward for you guys to friends though? I mean it sounds like he sort of just grabbed you and kissed you."

"He felt so bad as soon as he realised, but it's not awkward. There were no sparks though, like I didn't get that fluttery feeling in my tummy when he kissed me." Hermione said.

Lily nodded and they both fell silent as they entered Gringotts. The goblins had always creeped Hermione out a little, so she didn't like to talk in the bank unless she had to. It seemed Lily felt the same way.

"Erm Could I please exchange thirty Galleons for muggle money please?" Hermione said to the Goblin at the front desk.

"Money exchange is over there." The goblin said, pointing a taloned finger towards a small goblin sitting as one of the side desks.

"Thank you."

Hermione and Lily scurried over to the exchange goblin and Hermione repeated her question. The exchange earned her three hundred pounds.

"Don't you need to exchange money too?" Hermione asked as Lily took hold of her arm and started surreptitiously tugging hormone out of the bank.

"No, my parents never want me to be stuck for money so I actually have a muggle credit card. Do you know what that is?"

Hermione nodded her head. In her own time her parents had insisted that she have one as well. She missed it now.

They hurried back through Diagon Alley and through the Leaky Cauldron.

"I suppose we ought to take the tube to the area with the most shops then?" Lily said. Hermione nodded and they wandered off down the street until they found an entrance to the tube.

When they reached the shopping suburb Hermione and Lily spent the whole day buying new clothes and trying on several ridiculous outfits, asking each other for opinions. Hermione suggested they buy bathing suits because James had mentioned that there was a heated pool at his house. Hermione also managed to convince Lily that she needed to freshen her look and Lily got long layers cut into her waist length red hair, as well as a sweeping side fringe, which cleared up the problem she had of pulling it all into a slick ponytail every day and looking like a twelve year old when she did so.

Hermione had taken a risk and asked the hairstylist for her opinion on how to make her look a little more sultry and mysterious without doing anything drastic. She had walked away with some warm honey and caramel highlights and a thick full frontal fringe that leant her face an air of sultriness and sexy mystery when she peered out from beneath it. Hermione had also asked her to show them both some easy yet elegant styles to wear to a formal ball. The woman had been pleased to help and they girl had walked out satisfied and with plans for their hairdos for the New Year's Ball.

Lily had also managed to find a ball dress. Hermione simply couldn't wait to see James's face when Lily showed up wearing the beautiful dress she had purchased. Lily had insisted that they both get their nails done as well and they both came away with natural looking acrylics. Hermione had opted for curved; slightly pointed fake nails while Lily had chose blunt square ended nails. They'd gotten Pedicures as well but thankfully didn't get fake toenails though the stylist had offered to do it for half price.

"Lily, do you know anything about how to be flirty and sort of seductive?" Hermione had asked her as they exited another clothing shop now heavily burdened with bags of clothes to reinvent themselves. They had manage to get some great bargains on summer clothing, finding some stylish high waisted denim short shorts and some loose fitting dresses.

"Erm… do you mean sort of how to be a tease?" Lily asked her.

Hermione nodded.

"Not really. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was sort of thinking that as well as our new looks and clothing, maybe you and me should work on not just looking sexier but feeling it. You know, like we could develop the sort of attitude that won't get us labelled as tarts but will get the attention of people." Hermione said "Then you could really drive James wild, without having to throw yourself into kissing him again. I feel like mostly we'd just need to work on developing a little more confidence with… Erm… sex and that sort of thing."

"Oh. My. Gosh. But it does sound sort of fun." Lily said, considering it for a moment "You're a virgin right?" Lily qualified. Hermione nodded emphatically.

"Well since I had my first kiss last night, obviously so am I. But I do like your idea. We don't want to be slutty or anything, just confident and a little bit sultry. You know, to impress the boys who might someday be our husbands." Lily giggled.

"Oh you have got it so bad for James." Hermione teased her.

Lily shrugged helplessly "What about you Hermione? Is there anyone at Hogwarts that you're interested in?"

Hermione fought to keep herself from blushing as she remembered pressing her face against Sirius's bare chest that morning.

"Erm… not really."

"Oh come on Hermione. There has to be someone. Please tell me it's not Black. I know he flirts with you. But you shouldn't let it affect you; he flirts with everything with breasts, even the teachers."

"Give me a little credit Lily." Hermione said, avoiding eye contact.

"I mean I know he's handsome and he has that air of danger and the whole bad boy thing going, trust me I've heard so many of the girls at Hogwarts gush about it. But he's a heart breaker. He sweet talks girls into bed with him and then ditches them. I'd just hate for you to get tangled up with him and then have him break your heart. You're all such good friends, and now that I fancy James it would be awful if there was awkwardness between you and Sirius when we all hung out."

"Trust me Lily, if anything were ever going to happen between me and Sirius, which I'm not saying it will, but if anything ever did I would have him wrapped around my little finger. One of my best friends from before broke my heart like that. I fancied him, but I didn't tell him because I didn't want things to get awkward if he didn't fancy me back, and he ended up getting together with another girl. It was awful. We still hadn't made up as friends when I left."

Lily nodded sympathetically "You should know though Hermione, Sirius Black is not the type to forgo a date or even a random snog in a broom cupboard, but since you arrived he hasn't even flirted with other girls as far as I know. He seems to have set his sights on you. Just promise me that you won't fall for his charm and let him break your heart."

"I promise that I'll never let Sirius Black break my heart." Hermione recited, smiling at the red head. She sort of knew she was lying because he seemed to have somehow managed to worm his way into her heart already, but there was no way she was going to let him break it, and if he did no one would ever know about it.

"Good. Well, I'm thinking that there must be books we could read to learn how to be a little more confident. I vote that we have some lunch, head to a bookstore and then we get out of the city before my arms drop off from carrying all these bags." Lily said cheerfully.

"Oh I've so missed spending time with another girl." Hermione sighed happily as she and Lily chattered over lunch.

"It's nice, isn't it? I've never really had any close girlfriends. Severus and I used to be best friends but then he called a really mean name and starting getting mixed up in the dark arts so we stopped being friends. And by then the other girls in our year didn't really want to be friends. They sort of resented me because of Potter's obsession too." Lily said sadly "But now you're here. Is it ok that I sort of think of you as my best friend?"

Lily looked shy and uncertain as she glanced at Hermione.

"I sort of think of you as my best friend too" Hermione replied, beaming happily "I mean, the boys are wonderful and I've always been friends with boys better than girls, but they've all been friends so long that it's hard to feel like I really belong with them sometimes. I love them all to bits, even though I've only been here such a short time." Hermione admitted "I feel like I already knew them sometimes, especially Sirius and Remus."

Hermione smiled as she came as close as she could to admitting the truth.

"All four of them truly are characters, though sometimes I wonder about Peter. To outsiders they look like a solid unit, but once I started spending more time with you all, I realised that even though he hangs out with them and whatnot, he doesn't quite fit. James and Sirius are obviously the closest, and they love Remus like a brother too. Most of the time they seem to with Peter as well, but every now and then it seems more like they tolerate him than actually enjoy his company."

Hermione nodded, she had noticed that too "Sometimes I think it's because he's a little shyer than the rest of them. And while it's awfully shallow it does need to be said that he doesn't quite measure up to the rest of them in regards to looks."

"Yes I think so too, even Remus with his scar down his face is still handsome. But Peter's just not quite cut from the same cloth." Lily agreed.

"He's alright though. And I think that at times he thinks that the others don't really value him as a friend so I've been working really hard to make sure he always feels included and like he matters to us when he might doubt it. Like yesterday on the train, he perked up a lot when we all told him that we wanted to see him Christmas Day."

HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB

By the time Lily and Hermione stumbled up the drive at Potter Manor it was dark outside, but they wouldn't be late for dinner just yet.

"Oh why did we buy so much stuff?" Hermione moaned miserably as she and Lily stared at the staircase as though it were higher than Mount Everest.

"Because we're foolish and didn't think about how tired we would be from shopping all day. We also forgot about the stairs. And I feel so lazy even saying that because of how many staircases we climb to get to Gryffindor Tower, but I feel like I need a rest just from hauling all this stuff up the drive." Lily groaned wearily.

"It would seem that you girls like to go on spending sprees." The voice of Charlus Potter said from down the hall.

Hermione and Lily glanced that way and laughed as James and Sirius spilled into the hall, proceeding to gape at them for all their baggage.

"Come on Hermione, we're not going to get any help from these toe-rags." Lily said, sighing before beginning to climb the stairs. Hermione followed her, wanting to have put down all of her bags before Sirius noticed her new hairdo.

"You were gone all day!" James's voice called from the bottom of the stairs. His voice sounded slightly accusing and like he was shocked that the two girls would willingly spend a whole day from him and Sirius. Hermione knew better though.

Hermione laughed "We missed you too James." She called over her shoulder teasingly.

"Dinner will be ready in five minutes girls" Dorea called from downstairs as the girls hauled their bags along the hallway to their rooms.

Hermione sighed happily when she dropped all of her bags onto her bed, shaking her weary arms. Hermione paused. It was really too much effort to walk back downstairs this very second. With that in mind Hermione pushed some of the bags to one side and flopped back onto her bed.

Hermione heard a chuckle and lifted her head to see Sirius leaning casually in her doorway.

He wore a black long sleeved shirt and jeans.

When Hermione saw him she let her head drop back onto the soft mattress.

"Big day "Mione?" he asked sarcastically. Hermione could hear him coming closer.

"You have no idea how woefully out of practice I am at Girl's days." Hermione told him. She grinned when he leaned over her. It really wasn't fair that he looked so handsome all the time.

Sirius took her hands and tugged her up off the bed and eagerly pulled her into a hug.

"You know, you might as well wag your tail the way you always get so happy to see people if you're away from them for more than a few minutes." Hermione teased him, leaning against him as he hugged her and wrapping her arms around his waist. Enjoying the comfort he provided. She might have left this morning after teasing him, and declared it to be game on between them last night, but for the moment just hugging him felt wonderful. Hermione sighed happily.

"When I was little I used to have a puppy, and every day when I got home from school he would whine at me and practically fall over because he wagged his tail so hard because he was so pleased to see me. You remind me of him sometimes." She told him.

"Does it bother you 'Mione?" Sirius asked her even as she leaned on him and he rubbed his warm hands against her back.

"No. It's kind of endearing that you're so affectionate with your friends. Though I'm beginning to suspect that you have intimacy issues." She told him as he released her and stepped back.

"What makes you think that?" Sirius asked her, tilting his head to one side just like a puppy even as he smiled at her.

"I suspect that you're whorish ways stem from a need for intimacy because of the fractured relationship you have with your family. And you never seem to settle on one girl because the physical contact you get from whatever it is that you do with these girls doesn't actually quench you need for real intimacy." Hermione told him "It would also explain your complete disregard for personal space boundaries."

"Are you really going to stand there and Psycho-analyse me when you've been gone all day and you didn't even tell me and James that you were going? You didn't tell Mum and Dad either." He crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at her. "When we couldn't find you and Evans we all panicked until I found the note on your bed."

"I wasn't aware that I had to ask your permission." Hermione said, crossing her own arms and glaring up at him from beneath her fringe.

"There's a difference between getting permission to do something and letting others know what your plans are. Mum was ready to send out a search party for the two of you. She thought you must have gotten lost somewhere on the grounds or something."

"Well obviously didn't and I'll be sure to apologise to Mr and Mrs Potter for worrying them." Hermione said.

"And what about apologising to me and Prongs?"

"Why would I apologise to you and James for spending the day with Lily. It's not my fault none of you thought to look for a note explaining that we'd gone to London."

Sirius clenched his jaw on the angry retort hormone could see burning his eyes.

"What did you do to your hair?" Sirius asked her, changing the subject before he snapped at her.

"It's called a fringe and some highlights." Hermione answered, peering at him wickedly from beneath the thick hair that hung into her eyes. She could see that while he wasn't going to say it, he thought it was sexy. "And we should probably get back downstairs for dinner, I'm starving."

Sirius kept staring down at her as though he hadn't heard her words about dinner. He smirked a little before he spoke.

"You know, since you got here I haven't even looked at another girl so I don't know what you're basing your statements on about supposedly being a man-whore. But I do not have intimacy issues. And what are you talking about with personal space boundaries?" Sirius asked her as Hermione stepped around him.

Hermione began to laugh at his words "You don't even realise that you do it, do you?"

"That I do what?" he demanded, trailing after her. Hermione stopped and turned to face him. Sirius kept walking until he was less than three feet from her, directly in front of her.

"You're doing it now. Anyone else would have stopped walking two or three steps ago. But not you Sirius." Hermione said, smiling up at him as he stared at her confusedly. He was so adorable when he frowned like that. Rising up on her toes Hermione pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, forgetting for the moment that she had changed her outlook and her attitude towards Sirius as she intended to win his heart without letting him know that she was trying to steal it.

"Sirius, don't let this go to your head, but sometimes you are completely adorable." Hermione told him softly. Sirius smirked at her.

"You smell amazing today." He responded, flashing that heart-breaker charming smile at her.

"Thank you. I bought some lilac candles today" Hermione said, smiling back at him "I really like to indulge in my numerous activities by candlelight." Hermione murmured lowering her voice and letting a wicked twinkle enter her eyes.

"I'm more of a lights out kind of guy myself" Sirius said, smirking "In the dark no one can see me sneaking up to pounce."

Hermione peered up at him from beneath her fringe "What a pity we have nothing in common" she whispered sultrily "Otherwise I might have suggested we indulge together."

As lust flared in Sirius's blue eyes Hermione turned and wandered off down the hall. She glanced over her shoulder at him before leaning around the door of Lily's room.

"Are you guys coming to dinner?" She asked James and Lily.

They both looked up at her, startled.

"Oh yeah, Mum aid it was almost ready." James said glancing at Lily he ruffled his hair again before getting to his feet.

Hermione smirked when she felt Sirius standing almost directly behind her and rather than glancing at him she shuffled back a step until her back brushed against his chest.

"Well come on. I'm starving." Hermione said, lingering for just a moment against Sirius before skipping off down the hallway, unable to keep the happy smile from her face.

When they all reach the table Hermione made sure to take her seat beside Lily on the opposite side of the table to Sirius. Lily sat opposite James and Dorea and Charlus sat at opposing ends of the table. There were several dishes of food laid out on the table and Hermione felt her mouth begin to water. It had been a long time since they'd eaten lunch in London.

"Before we start" Hermione began as James reached for the platter of chicken drumsticks "I just wanted to apologise to you Mr and Mrs Potter. Lily and I didn't mean to worry you when we left this morning. I assumed James or Sirius would come looking for us and find the note I left for them on my bed."

"Oh that's quite alright dear." Dorea said with a smile.

"Gave us all quite a scare until Sirius found your note." Charlus admonished gently even as his wife forgave them.

"We're really sorry Mr Potter." Lily said softly "We just got so excited about the idea that we hurried off without a second thought. Not to mention that James and Sirius were still in bed when we left."

Sirius's blue eyes accused Hermione from across the table "I wasn't."

"Your door was closed." Lily countered.

"Don't give me that. 'Mione you knew I was awake. You ran into me in the hall before you went to Evans's room." He accused her. He looked a little bit mad.

"And you slammed your door when I was knocking on Lily's. I assumed you were going back to sleep and wanted to be left alone." Hermione murmured letting him catch the laughter in her eyes that said she knew he probably wasn't trying to get back to sleep, but definitely wanted to be alone after running into her while she wore nothing more than his jersey, after pressing kisses to his bare nipple.

"You could've slid the note under my door if you were that worried." He argued, ignoring the implication. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him.

"Sirius Black I do not have to explain myself to you. You and neither more parent or guardian and you are in no way responsible for me. Therefore I do not answer you and I certainly don't look to you for permission to do whatever it might be that I feel like doing." Hermione snapped, getting irritated at him for looking at her as though she were a disobedient child.

Sirius leant back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. Clearly he had no intention of backing down, in spite of the fact that they were arguing in from of Mr and Mrs Potter.

"Sirius, let it go will you?" Dorea admonished him gently "They both apologised for worrying us, but they also did leave a note explaining where they were going and Hermione makes a valid point. She doesn't answer to you. She's old enough to make her own decisions without asking permission from anyone."

No one mentioned that Hermione had accused him of not being her parent, obviously worried she would become upset because in this life she had no parents, only a slightly eccentric professor who pretended to be her guardian because she had nothing and no one else.

"You know, I kind of like it when it's you two arguing rather than Evans yelling at me." James said, slouching in his chair as he grinned. Lily giggled at his words and Hermione glanced at him with a small smile.

It was unusual for Hermione and Sirius to argue because usually Sirius was so laid back about everything.

"Let's eat before the food goes cold." Charlus said laughter in his voice and a twinkle in his eyes at the tension between Sirius and Hermione.

"Oh my gosh I'm starving" Lily agreed, reaching for the plate of mashed potatoes and serving herself and Hermione while Hermione served each of them some sausages.

"Didn't you girls eat anything today?" Dorea asked them sternly/

"Oh no, we did, we got breakfast at this cute little diner before we went crazy with our clothes shopping. And after we both had our hair and nails done we had lunch at some muggle pub called The Rusty Nail." Lily assured her as she piled some salad onto her plate and then Hermione's.

"It was so cold though, and we spent so much time traipsing around and trying on clothes. And we just kept buying things because Lily is a bad influence, so after each shop our arms got tireder and tireder. By the time we here we barely had the energy to climb the stairs."

"Oh now I'm the bad influence?" Lily laughed "This whole day was your idea, and it was you who kept dragging me into hops and insisting that this top would go nicely with the jeans I bought at the last shop and that this dress would look really nice with my hair."

Hermione laughed at her friend's playful indignation.

"No it was definitely your bad influence, I may have dragged you into the shops but it was you dragging me to the changing rooms and then to the check out."

Dorea and Charlus chuckled while James and Sirius stared at them across the table.

"You know Sirius. This morning I thought 'girls day' meant that they just went off and spent the day with only girls allowed but now I'm beginning to think that 'girls day' actually means they go away and when they come back they actually act like girls." James whispered loudly.

Charlus laughed at his son.

"I think you're right James. Maybe someone hexed them. They were definitely never this girly before today." Sirius said.

"I'd actually started to think of you as one of us guys Hermione." James told her, shaking his head sadly. Hermione began to laugh remembering the time before the Yule Ball when Ron had turned to her and said with astonishment 'Hermione, you're a girl'.

"Oh gee thanks James." Hermione scoffed "It's so nice to know that no matter where I go, the boys I'm friends with somehow manage to forget that I'm actually a girl."

"Well you don't really act like other girls. Evans doesn't either." James defended himself "I've never seen you do anything girly. At school you tie your hair up and neither of you wear make-up or anything like that."

"That's why we had a girls day." Lily interrupted him "Otherwise blockheads like you forget that we exist and end up chasing the skirts of those little third year tarts."

"Evans I could never forget that you exist." James said, staring at her with a dreamy expression on his face.

His parents laughed along with Hermione and Sirius and Lily.

"I do like what you've both done with your hair" Dorea chimed in "That fringe really suits you Hermione dear. And Lily the layers you had cut in give your hair some shape. You both look lovely."

"Thank you." The girls said simultaneously.

"Don't you think so boys? Don't they look so grown up and beautiful with their new hair styles?" Dorea appealed to James and Sirius who had fallen to stuffing their faces with food as Mrs Potter spoke of hair that wasn't Sirius's.

Sirius looked at Lily and Hermione speculatively while James just grunted.

"They both look older now. Evans doesn't look like a twelve year old anymore." Lily blew a raspberry at him before blushing when she remembered they were at the dinner table. Mrs Potter rolled her eyes when the three men at the table went back to eating.

"Men. They're all hopeless." She grumbled before smiling at the girls "So what sparked the shopping sprees and new hairstyles girls?"

"Well, Lily did look a little like a twelve year old" Hermione teased, grinning when Sirius smirked at her for agreeing with him "But I'm not really sure. When I woke up this morning I thought to myself that I was so sick of wearing the same types of clothes I've been wearing forever. I asked Lily about it and she agreed that we both seem to have developed a habit of buying clothes because they are comfortable or practical. We decided we should mix it up a little bit."

"Hermione suggested that now that we're growing up and turning into pretty young ladies rather than gangly little girls we should dress more like ladies. So today was sort of like we were saying goodbye to being little kids and hello to being… I don't know, more ladylike maybe…. Or maybe just more like women." Lily said blushing slightly. Hermione grinned, it was difficult not to just say that they had decided today that their boring comfortable clothing did nothing to draw the eyes of young men and that they were on a mission to turn the heads and break the hearts of all who saw them.

"That's very sensible" Dorea said "I remember my mother insisting a few months before my seventeenth birthday that it was time I stopped lounging around in sweat pants and started wearing skirts and dresses and acting like a lady. Oh how did she word it?" Mrs Potter snapped her fingers softly, rolling her wrist with a faraway look in her eyes. "Oh yes I remember. It was time I realised that young men ought to look at me and feel desire. That with one glance from me I ought to be able to stop them in their tracks and make them forget everything but me when they saw me."

Hermione smirked. It seemed that perhaps Mrs Potter would know exactly what Hermione had in mind with their makeovers."

"It worked." Mr Potter chimed in, smiling at his wife "When you came back to school for our seventh year you stopped traffic as you walked down corridors. I worried that I'd never get you to notice me when so many other men were vying for your attention."

Hermione felt her heart give a little squeeze when she saw the tender expression Mrs Potter flashed at her husband "You know I only ever had eyes for you Charlus."

In that moment Hermione understood why it was that James Potter was so infatuated with Lily Evans, and way it was that he unabashedly spouted sappy phrases as they rolled of his heart. Because all his life he'd had the type of parents who did the same thing. Hermione could see how in love Mr and Mrs Potter were as they looked at each other so tenderly and when she looked to James to see if he was blushing at his parent's being such hopeless romantics she found him smiling at them both happily. It didn't matter to him at all that in front of two of his best friends and the girl he was in love with, his parents were soppy and lovey-dovey. He looked proud of them for it. And when he glanced at Hermione he smiled even wider, showing her that he knew that others would be embarrassed by such actions but that he loved them for it. Hermione wished Harry could have known the way his grandparents loved each other. The way his father had loved Lily, she wished Harry could have known that his family were truly the kindest people she had ever met. Then Hermione remembered that her presence here could ensure that Harry would know exactly how much his family loved each other.

Hermione's eyes travelled to Sirius and found him watching her. He didn't look uncomfortable by the Potters affection either. Instead he smiled softly, as though he thought it was nice that they were so in love with each other even though they had a sixteen year old son and had practically adopted him as James's best friend.

"Still think I have intimacy issues?" Sirius asked her softly from across the table. His blue eyes held her chocolate gaze and Hermione raised her eyebrows at him.

"What's that?" Charlus said suddenly, shocked out of his dreamy stare at his wife

"Before we came down to dinner 'Mione accused me of having intimacy issues because I hadn't settled on any particular girl." Sirius said. His eyes still held Hermione's. "She told me I probably developed them because of my family's fractured relationship with me. Accused me of tom-catting around because I crave intimacy rather than just physical contact."

Hermione blushed to hear him speak of such things in front of Mr and Mrs Potter. Lily looked mortified that he would speak of the way he used girls in front of the Potters as well.

"Now that you've met them and gotten to know them a little better, do you still think I have intimacy issues?" Sirius asked her again.

Blushing Hermione said softly "I meant your real family."

Sirius smiled "These are my real family 'Mione."

"Sirius don't mean to her, look at her the poor thing." Dorea scolded him "He's just awful sometimes Hermione, but don't let him get you flustered like that. We might not be his birth parents, but Sirius is more a part of this family than he is of his own. Though they haven't disowned him, they rarely speak to him and haven't ever forgiven him for being place in Gryffindor instead of in Slytherin. What you need to understand is that Sirius's real mother buys into all the nonsense about pureblood witches and wizards being superior to muggle borns and believes that anyone with her blood couldn't possibly be so defiant as to disagree with her."

Lily had grown very still and quiet beside Hermione and Hermione jumped a little when she felt Lily squeeze her hand. Hermione glanced sideways at her, remembering that Lily was muggle born, just as Hermione had been. No one at this table knew that thought. They believed she was a pureblood or a half blood.

"What Mum's saying is the Blacks don't love their children. My dear old mother adores Regulas, my brother, because he swallows everything she tells him. I'm the disgrace of the family who had a mind of my own enough to realise that just because someone has muggle parents doesn't make them inferior to me. Look at Evans, both of her parents are muggles and she's one of the best in our year. The Black's aren't my family Hermione."

"Not to contradict you Black, but shouldn't you have more respect and decency than to discuss your conquests in front of Mr and Mrs Potter?" Lily spoke up when Hermione squeezed her hand back.

Mrs Potter chuckled. "We have no secrets here Lily."

"You know," Charlus said when everyone was silent for a moment "I like that fringe you've got Miss Peverell. It makes you look mysterious. And while we've heard about you from James and Sirius, I feel like we don't really know you yet. It suits you."

"You might even say we don't really know you at all." Sirius slanted a sly gaze at her, clearly referring to the fact that she was keeping the truth from all of them and only he knew that she was lying to everyone.

"Charlus is right. Tell us a little bit about yourself dear." Dorea said.

Hermione blushed.

"Oh… Erm… what would you like to know? I'm really not very interesting."

"I disagree." Sirius said, his eyes twinkling and a smirk on his face. Hermione narrowed her eyes on him when she realised that he was trying to play with her, his eyes teased her with mischief and unbidden images of his lips on her throat while he laid on top of her last night on his bed had her blushing even harder.

"Well… Erm…" Hermione began, turning away from Sirius so he couldn't keep distracting her "I'm sixteen. I went to Beauxbatons Academy for Magic until a few weeks ago. When my last living relative died a charm kicked into effect that brought me to Albus, my Godfather."

"Albs Dumbledore? I didn't know he had a goddaughter. But we're very sorry for you loss dear." Dorea said kindly "Well what else is there to know about you? What are you interested in?"

"Erm… I like reading." Hermione offered lamely.

"She's really smart too." James tossed in when he realised that Hermione was stuck for words. "She gets perfect grades in everything. She even makes us study and do our homework the night before it's due. It's awful."

Hermione laughed, feeling some of her tension begin to drain away.

"Seems she's sort of shy too." Sirius murmured amusedly.

HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB.

Hermione was curled up in bed, pouring through her latest field of study. She had found a book in London today with all sort of useful tips and ideas of how to flirt successfully and how to go about seducing someone. Not that Hermione wanted to seduce Sirius Black in the sense that she wanted to leap into bed with him. After all, if that was all she wanted, then all she would need to do would be to wander across the hall and climb in next to him.

What Hermione intended to do was steal his heart. This, according to her new book, would be a lot more difficult than seducing him sexually.

Hermione sighed as she read, before blowing air up under her new fringe. She'd had it for less than twenty-four hours and it as already annoying her. The rest of her hair, she had managed to pull into a messy bun on the top of her head, but her fringe was now too short for that.

A soft knock at the door startled Hermione. Wondering who it could Hermione slid the book beneath her pillow and tiptoed across the room wearing only Sirius's Jersey. Dancing from foot to foot outside her door was Lily Evans. Hermione smiled as her new best friend hurried into Hermione's room.

"Is everything ok?" Hermione whispered as she closed the door behind the red head.

"Oh yes, everything's alright. Have you been reading any of the books we bought today?" Lily said.

"I tucked it under my pillow when you knocked in case it was one of the boys at the door." Hermione said.

"Oh good. I was reading mine just now too and I thought maybe we should try something." Lily said hesitantly "I know you said that there was nothing going on between you and Black, but I really want to try something that I read with James, and I don't really want to wait. After all Remus will be here tomorrow and Peter the day after that and I really don't want lots of people here." Lily said, wringing her hands together nervously. "Do you think you would be ok with testing out what I read on Sirius tonight?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows. The poor thing was terrified because she had to ask.

"Lily, maybe I should tell you something." Hermione murmured to the red head, wandering over to sit on the couch by the fire. Lily trailed behind her.

"Is everything ok Hermione?" she asked, clearly concerned by the graveness of Hermione's tone.

"Oh yes, it's just that I'm afraid I haven't been completely honest with you."

Lily titled her head questioningly.

"Ok, so you remember earlier today when you asked me if the other boy I had kissed was Sirius and then asked if anything was going on between us. You made me promise that I wouldn't be like all the other girls and fall for him and let him break my heart." Hermione began.

"You already have, haven't you?" Lily asked her sadly.

"Well I wouldn't go that far. But you know how Sirius is with girls? The way he sort of teases them and toys with them until they fall in love with him and then fall into bed with him? Well, I suppose I should admit that I do have a small crush on him. But I had this wonderful idea where I could use all of his tricks against him."

"Oh. My. Gosh. But wait, what do you mean? Do you mean that you want to tease him and play with him until he falls in love with the way he's done to so many girls?" Lily asked "Because that would be brilliant. It would serve him right to get a taste of his own medicine."

"Lily, how many girls has he been with?" Hermione asked her softly.

"To be honest, I don't know. More than five. But there are so many girls who say they've hooked up with him just to be popular that it's hard to quantify the true number. And it's not like he discourages the liars. After all it just builds him up even more. But if you wanted to know you'd probably have to ask him. And then who knows if he'd tell the truth?"

Hermione bit her lip for a moment. She might just be an inexperienced virgin, but five sounded like a lot of people to have slept with at sixteen.

"Well, maybe he'll find out what it's like to get his heart all tangled up and then broken." Hermione said "I feel a little bit better that I've told you. I didn't want you to think I was just falling for him and letting him lead me on. Because last night I suppose you could say I sort of challenged him."

"What do you mean you challenged him?"

"Well, a couple of weeks ago, the night before the Hogsmede trip he asked me to go with him as his date, and while he did he somehow got around behind me and was hugging me and kept kissing the side of my neck. I almost kissed him that night, but James interrupted. Anyway I told him I wouldn't be just another one of his conquests and wouldn't risk my friendship with everyone just because he was horny. At the time he let it go. But then yesterday he did it again, the neck kissing things and it drives me completely insane because it feels really good. Anyway, basically I challenged him last night and told him it was game on, that if he wanted to sleep with me he'd have to try his hardest to convince me that I wasn't just another conquest, while I tried my hardest not to give in. I told him he wasn't allowed to have any hard feelings when I have his heart wrapped around my little finger."

"Wow!" Lily said "You don't mess around do you? But you know that now you can't really trust anything he says, because he might just be lying about how he feels to get you into bed."

"To be honest, I probably wouldn't have trusted it anyway. When he actually is in love with me I'll know."

"Well, then good. That means we can try out what I read tonight. I was reading that every now and then it's an excellent tool of seduction to surprise the person. One of the suggestions was spontaneity. So then I thought that something spontaneous would be if you and I put on the bathing suits we bought today and get the boys out of bed and we could all go swimming." Lily said.

"Ooh that could be fun. Especially if we don't have anything but our bathing suits on. They'll think that all their dreams have come true. Let's do it!" Hermione said excitedly.

"I hoped you'd agree, and if you didn't I was going to be really self-confident and try it by myself. So I've actually already got my suit on. Lily said, lifting her shirt to show Hermione.

"Sometimes I just love the way you think." Hermione told her as she scurried over to her trunk and dug out her suit. Lily sat with her back to Hermione while Hermione changed out of her jersey and underwear and into the black triangle bikini she had purchased.

"Oh. My. Gosh. I can't believe we're actually going to do this. You and I are bookworms. We're not the sort of girls who try to seduce the two most popular boys in our year." Lily fretted.

"Hey, none of that. We're the new and improved Hermione and Lily. We are the sort of bookworms that will also wear clothing that is a little risqué and we are the sort of bookworms that will seduce the two most popular boys in our year. We need to become what Mrs Potter was saying. The types of girls who can stop traffic and have boys forget where they were going when they catch a glimpse of us. With one glance we can stop them in their tracks." Hermione said confidently.

"I'm beginning to think that you might be a bad influence on me Hermione Peverell." Lily told her with a grin. "Let's do this before I chicken out."


	13. Ah, To Be Young

Chapter 13: Ah, To Be Young.

Hermione glanced at Lily through the dark and giggled. Lily wore only a blue bikini as she huddled outside James's door with her fist poised and ready to knock. Light gleamed from beneath James's door, so the girls knew he was awake. Hermione glanced down at her feet. There was no light coming from Sirius's room. Taking a deep breath Hermione squared her shoulders in spite of the fact that it was late at night and the middle of winter and she only wore a black bikini. As she exhaled Hermione let her fist knock softly against Sirius's door.

Lily copied Hermione, knocking on James's door.

When the light didn't turn on in Sirius's room Hermione giggled and knocked again before turning the door knob.

"Sirius?" Hermione purred softly as she entered the dark room, closing the door behind her.

"Hermione?" Sirius's low voice asked in shock. "What are you doing?" he asked her. He still didn't wave his wand to light the room, but light glowed from the huge fireplace, enough that Hermione could see Sirius sitting up in bed.

"Were you asleep?" Hermione teased softly.

"No. What are you doing here?" He repeated.

"I'm here to entice you Sirius." Hermione purred at him, moving closer to the bed so he would be able to see that she wore only a bikini. "You see, it seems that there is an awfully large heated pool somewhere in this house. And it's wasteful of us not to put it to use."

"Are you naked?" Sirius asked her in an odd voice.

"I might be." Hermione whispered deviously, realising he couldn't tell she had a bikini on "Would that be a problem for you Sirius?"

Hermione watched as a sly, wicked smile crept across his handsome face. He still hadn't moved from where he sat in bed. Grinning and testing her own daring based on something she had been reading, Hermione stepped up onto his bed and stalked towards him until her feet were either side of his hips.

Sirius stared up at her as she stood over him.

"It wouldn't have been a problem" He told her his hands finding her calf muscles and sliding up the back of her legs. "The bikini is though."

"Well I'm afraid there's only one way to get me out of it" Hermione told him as she lowered herself until her knees straddled his hips. She didn't sit on his groin though.

"And what is it?" he asked her. Hermione could see his eyes lingering on her breasts where they strained against the too small bikini top. Hermione lifted her arms and rested them on his bare shoulders, leaning in so she could whisper in his ear.

"Won't you coming swimming with me Sirius?" she purred. She hadn't told him yet that James and Lily were coming too. She and Lily had agreed it would be more fun to watch them trip over themselves only to be shocked to see each other there.

Hermione heard Sirius's teeth grind and saw his fists clench as he fought not to pull her down and have his way with her.

"You had me fooled." He murmured to her as he lifted his hands and slid them up and down her sides between the pieces of her bikini with feather light pressure. The touch sent Hermione's pulse wild and she bit her lip to keep from gasping as pleasure began to race through her veins.

"Until last night I was convinced you were an innocent little bookworm" Sirius murmured as he tilted his head back to look at her "I've been refraining from bringing my a-game because I didn't want to scare you." He said, his voice dripping lust like a heady love potion.

Hermione didn't realise that she had been chasing his touch on her waist, slowly leaning towards him, until without warning she felt his hot lips against her feverish skin. He started at the valley between her breasts, his lips searing her as he kissed a trail over her chest and along her collar bones. Hermione felt her head fall back at how amazing it felt, unwittingly giving him access to her throat. Sirius took shameless advantage and his mouth ravaged her throat in such a way that Hermione's thighs were tightening and her stomach was back flipping and her pelvic floor muscles clenched and unclenched with need. Liquid pooled at the junction of her thighs and Hermione's nails dug into Sirius's shoulders, urging him on as he licked, nipped, sucked and kissed her neck.

When a moan escaped Hermione's lips Sirius gave an evil chuckle.

The sound had her pelvic muscles practically spasming even as her mind demanded she reclaim control of the situation. Lowering herself until her behind almost brushed against him Hermione gave a chuckle of her own, sultry and seductive.

"Won't you come and play with me Sirius?" she purred into his ear, pausing to nibble on it before continuing "Or are you going to make me play with myself?"

As she purred the last word Hermione pulled away from him and stood, sashaying as she stalked back off his bed towards the door.

"You're pretty good at this 'Mione, but you challenged a master of the game." Sirius told her smugly as he threw his covers back. Hermione leaned against the bedroom door as Sirius went to his cupboard in search of his own bathing suit. He glanced over at her and found her watching him as he hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his pyjamas. Through the dark Hermione's eyes dared him to drop them while she watched.

"Sure I did sweetie." Hermione said in response to his words, letting her doubt leak into her tone. Sirius grinned wickedly at her and shrugged before he dropped his pyjamas to the floor. He wore nothing beneath them. In the dark Hermione had trouble making out anything, but she knew he was aroused.

Hermione leant against the door in what she hoped was a sexy pose, while Sirius pulled on a pair of board shorts. When he had them on Hermione gained a new appreciation for how skilled he really was at this dangerous game of seduction. He stalked towards her with slow, deliberate steps, that sly smile in place and his amazing body holding her captivated. Thrills raced through her as he drew closer and closer.

When he stood in front of her and stared down at her hungrily Hermione smirked. She peered at him from beneath her fringe, her eyes lingering on his body before meeting his gaze. Softly she bit at her bottom lip in a way she hoped was seductive.

"That fringe is going to kill me." Sirius murmured huskily.

Hermione laughed quietly, pleased that it was getting to him. She felt sexy and mysterious as she stood there in the dark peering up at him from beneath her fringe wearing only the black bikini she had specifically picked to drive him wild.

Slowly Sirius leant his hands on either side of her shoulders against his bedroom door.

"Now what 'Mione?" He asked her, his voice low with need.

"I thought we were going swimming." Hermione said innocently.

Little by little Sirius bent his arms, bringing his face closer to hers. Hermione bit her lip as she smirked. She could see his intentions burning in his eyes and they were anything but honourable. His face hovered an inch from hers and Hermione felt overwhelmed by him as his scent surrounded her and filled her head with wicked thoughts. In the dark Hermione met his gaze and she could see him begging for permission to kiss her lips. Hermione held her breath as his face inched closer to hers and when his lips hovered just a centimetre from hers she gave a seductive little giggle, turning her face away and leaving him hanging.

She heard the wicked little chuckle Sirius gave as Hermione deprived him of what he wanted from her.

"Are you going to come swimming with me Sirius or am I going to have to find my way to the pool all alone?" Hermione whispered to him.

Sirius tilted his head to one side and looked into her eyes again but Hermione just gave him a flirty little smile and ducked out of the circle of his arms. For just a moment he leant there against the door before he stepped back and pulled the door open.

Her stomach was quadruple back flipping with excitement and the thrill of being with him alone and in the dark even as her whole body tingled from the wicked things he had done to her throat. But until she had him hooked Hermione would hold out on anything else, even as her racing heart begged her to kiss him, Hermione refused. Until he was completely addicted to her she wouldn't kiss him. He might be sneaky enough to trick her into letting him kiss her throat as he'd just done. But other than light touching and intense teasing Sirius Black would get nothing but flirting from her.

She wasn't just one of his conquests. She was the girl who was going to trap his heart as hers forever. She would toy with him until he was completely addicted to her. Until he begged for her. Until he loved her.

Hermione smirked when he held his hand out for her to take. Stepping into the corridor Hermione took his hand and interlaced her fingers with his. James and Lily had both left their doors open, Hermione noticed as Sirius led her down the hallway.

"Corrupting Evans as well, I see?" Sirius laughed "And here I thought that you were a sweet, innocent schoolgirl who didn't have a wicked bone in her body."

Hermione grinned "Someone had to jump start the relationship for the two of them. If I hadn't come along Lily would still despise James, and James would be miserable knowing that he may never win the affections of the love of his life."

"You're really something 'Mione." Sirius murmured, his thumb drawing circles on the back of her hand he held as he led her through the dark house, down the stairs and up several winding corridors. As they drew closer Hermione could hear the sound of running water.

Opening one last door for her, Sirius led Hermione into a large open room that was lighted by old oil lamps. Hermione gasped when she saw the pool. Because it wasn't really a pool. The Potters had almost an exact replica of the Prefects bathroom at Hogwarts. Hundreds of taps protruded from the far wall and the vast empty pool-like tub was rapidly filling as Lily Evans toyed with the taps. Hermione watched her as she turned on one that emitted bright pink water and huge love heart shaped bubbles. It smelled incredibly sweet, like cotton candy.

James Potter wore board shorts as he sat on the steps closest to the door.

"It's just like the prefect's bathroom." Hermione breathed. Sirius glanced at her and Hermione remembered that she wasn't supposed to know about the prefect's bathroom at Hogwarts because in this time Lily Evans and Remus Lupin were the Gryffindor prefects.

Hermione giggled as she watched Lily climb a small stone staircase all the way to the top so she could turn on the tap at the very top of the wall.

"Are you sure you want to turn that one on Lily?" Hermione asked her.

Lily glanced over at beamed at her, waving happily when she saw that Hermione and Sirius had finally shown up.

"What took you so long?" Lily called as she kept climbing towards the top of the stairs.

"Someone wasn't pleased about being woken up." Hermione lied smoothly, winking at Sirius.

"I can't wait for her to turn that one on." James whispered as Sirius sat next to him on the steps. Suspicion flooded Hermione's mind.

"What's so special about that one?" she asked.

"It's laced with Amortentia." Sirius told her softly as Lily reached the top and turned it on. Almost immediately the room began to fill with the headiness of Amortentia.

"You should try out some of the taps too Hermione." James told her as his eyes slid closed. The water had begun to lap at his feet on the bottom step. Sirius nodded at Hermione, his eyes lingering on her body, gleaming wickedly.

Hermione grinned. She had always loved playing with the taps in the prefect's bathroom

"Come on Hermione. Come and try out some of the taps. It's so much fun!" Lily called, beckoning Hermione over. Skipping happily Hermione wandered over and turned on the third tap in from the right on the second level of taps. Lime green water pour from the tap emitting thousands and thousands of tiny green bubbles that stuck to Hermione almost instantly. Hermione giggled as she brushed at them. They tickled.

Trying another tap, this time on the fifth row, directly in the middle of the row. Hermione raised her eyebrows at the orange liquid with the consistency of cream flowed from the tap. It smelt strongly of citrus and when Hermione stuck her hand underneath it, it came away feeling as soft as a new born babies' skin.

Glancing up Hermione realised that Lily had left the tap from the very top on. Pale purple liquid flowed from it and Hermione smirked at she shot a glance at Sirius. He was watching her play with the taps. Hermione giggled innocently and waved at him. Sirius flashed her a wicked grin.

"Hey 'Mione?" he called softly "Seventh row, eighth tap in from the left. Could you turn that one on for me?"

Narrowing her eyes at his sly expression, Hermione found another small staircase on the left side of all of the taps like the one Lily climbed and she climbed it until she could reach the tap he had asked for. When she turned it on the liquid was milky white and instead of flowing straight down it shot towards her, wrapping around her and clinging to her skin and her hair. It smelled like freshly cooked apple pie. As Hermione sputtered in shock Sirius chuckled while the liquid flowed over Hermione's body swirling around her in a soft caress before it flowed into the tub.

Catching Sirius's eyes, Hermione winked at him before closing her eyes and biting down gently on her bottom lips, letting pleasure transform her features as the water stroked against her skin. Standing in the flow of the water Hermione trailed her hands over her body suggestively, her face showing that it felt divine. When Hermione opened her eyes again she found Sirius staring at her with his mouth slightly open in shock even as desire and hunger for her blazed in burned in his eyes.

Hermione giggled and turned the tap off again. When she looked up Lily still had the very top tap running but no others anymore. She wore a funny, blissful expression, just like James did and Hermione suddenly became aware of the fact that the Amortentia laced into the pale purple fluid flowing from that tap was weaving a spell upon all of them. Hermione flashed a sexy smile at Sirius as she slid into the almost full tub and waded through the love heart bubbles until she stood directly beneath the flow of the Amortentia water.

"Hey Prongs" Hermione heard Sirius say, nudging his friend. James glanced over at Sirius who nodded towards Hermione where she stood under the water. James raised his eyebrows but Hermione couldn't bring herself to care what they all though of her right now. The effects of the potion in the water swam through Hermione's mind as her skin soaked up the potion and she felt her body go loose and languid with relaxation and happiness, her eyes slid closed and she titled her head back, turning her face into the stream. Her head swam with the scents of freshly mown grass and diesel and freshly cut timber and warm leather. She could feel her heart fluttering in her chest as images of Sirius filled in her mind.

"Lily?" Hermione called, knowing her voice sounded blissful and contented "Lily you've got to stand under here. This feels amazing."

Hermione watched as Lily slipped into the water and pushed her way through the pink love heart bubbles until she stood next to Hermione in the flow of the water.

"Oh wow." Lily breathed as her head dropped forwards onto her chest. "That smells amazing. It smells like chocolate. Hmmm. James smells like chocolate too." Lily told her softly. "He nearly had a heart attack when he opened the door and I was there in my bikini. He even had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming."

Hermione hummed with approval as the water poured down on them. It was affecting her mind. She knew it was, but for some reason Hermione couldn't bring herself to care.

"Sirius didn't have his light on. He thought I was naked when I slipped into his room."

"Hermione?" Lily whispered "I think I really fancy James."

Hermione giggled, the potion must be seeping into their skin, Hermione thought idly.

"Can you keep a secret?" Hermione murmured to Lily. Lily rolled her head to the side and smiled contentedly at Hermione. Hermione giggled again "One day you and James will get married and you'll have a little boy who looks just like James, only he'll have your eyes." Hermione told her.

"You really think so?" Lily said hopefully.

"I know so Lily Evans. I even know what you'll name him." Hermione told her happily. A small part of Hermione's mind was screaming at her that she shouldn't be revealing the secrets she knew about the future, but it was Lily Evans and James Potter. If ever there had been an ordained pairing it was these two. What did it matter if she told Lily that someday she'd marry the boy of her dreams and have a son with him?

Absently Hermione noticed the sound of splashing before a familiar handsome face emerged from the love heart bubbles directly in front of her. Sirius was smirking at her, his hair dripping wet as he moved even closer to her until he stood under the water from the tap too. He didn't stay there though. After a moment her turned away and called to James.

"Prongs you better turn the tap off before the pool overflows. And if these ladies stand under it and soak in any more of the Amortentia they'll probably declare undying love for each other."

When Sirius took Hermione's hand under the water she felt herself beam at him. Everything about him seemed wonderful to Hermione in that moment. His handsome face, his lithe body, his cheeky, flirty, bad boy personality. The way he made her laugh so much. She ought to feel stupid, beaming at him like a fool, but as she did so standing there soaking up Amortentia with him holding her hand, Sirius returned her adoring smile and for the first time in a long time Hermione felt like everything was right. That her life was going along exactly how it should be.

Of course that could be blamed on her muggle childhood where she grew up reading fairy tales about young women who fell madly in love with perfect strangers and rode away into the sunset to live happily ever after with Prince Charming, but Hermione didn't car about that.

She cared about Sirius Black.

About the boy with long black hair and a wicked grin who could turn into a giant puppy dog with floppy ear and an almost constantly wagging tail. She cared about the fact that here in this time he was young and happy and carefree. Nothing like the bitter man she had once known. And as Hermione peered up into his smiling face she made herself a promise that no matter what it might take, Sirius would never ever become that bitter, jaded angry man who lost his best friend and then been accused of murdering him. He would never even see Azkaban Prison, let alone rot there for twelve years for crimes he hadn't committed.

Hermione gave a goofy smile. If she had her way he would instead spend that time with her. Someday she would win his heart and he would cease his wanton ways, settling on her forever, just like that childhood fantasy of happily ever after.

Slowly Sirius tugged her towards him before turning them around so that he stood with his arms wrapped around her and their tummies touching softly. Hermione giggled as he tipped his face back into the spray. He looked so beautiful when he did that.

"Who is Prongs?" Lily asked in a slow voice, she spoke as though her mind was all fuzzy and stringing words together in the right order was challenging

"Prongs is James." Hermione told her happily. Something niggled at Hermione's mind briefly, but the feel of Sirius's arms around her in the water distracted her before she could pay that niggle any heed. "And Padfoot in Snuffles." She murmured, her mind conjuring an image of the Sirius she had known in her old life, when he had run around as a dog calling himself Snuffles. Hermione smiled up into his face. "You're pretty" she told Sirius as she stepped closer to him until she could lay her face on his chest directly over the scar above his heart.

"You're pretty too. Only you're prettier than pretty. You're spectacular." Sirius told her happily. Vaguely Hermione wondered if they were all a little bit high on Amortentia, but as Sirius beamed down at her she forgot what she'd been thinking about.

The water flowing down on them stopped and Hermione wondered for a moment why it had but then she dismissed it. She felt happy and contented as she cuddled close to Sirius. She could feel him stroking his hand up and down her back and pressing gentle kisses against her hair and Hermione felt her tummy give an odd little wiggle at how wonderful both of those things felt when he did them to her.

"Where's James?" Lily asked them slowly. Sirius lifted his arm and pointed as James slid into the water at the edge of the pool. "James!" Lily Evans cried happily when she saw him. James began to laugh. "Where have you been Jamesy?" Lily asked him, almost stumbling as she splashed through the water towards them. "Why didn't you stand under the water with us? You should have. It feels really nice when you do. All warm and fuzzy. Like butterbeer does. I'm sad for you that you missed out." Lily babbled at him as she got closer and closer to him.

When she reached him Lily didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around his neck and hug him tight.

"Padfoot I think we let them stand under the water too long." James said laughing.

When Sirius didn't respond to his friend, but instead kept stroking his hand up and down Hermione's back James Potter tilted his head to one side questioningly. His eyes scanned his friend's blissful facial expression and he raised one eyebrow. "You stood under it too didn't you?" he asked Sirius. Sirius smiled and nodded happily.

"Not as long as Evans and 'Mione did though." He told his bespectacled friend "But you should have too. It's nice under there. Then you'd feel good too." Sirius nodded his head emphatically.

"You know you're going to admit it to her." James murmured as he watched Hermione snuggled her face against Sirius's chest. "You're going to tell her the truth now that that stuff's in your system and if she says anything back you won't be able to trust it's not just the potion in the water." James cautioned Sirius. He looked like he was going to say something else but at that moment Lily tugged on his earlobe with her teeth.

"That's attached love." James told her, looking away from Sirius who stood with Hermione wrapped around him as he stroked her. "You're beautiful." James told Lily, leaning away from her teeth so he could look into her eyes.

"I think you're cute too Jamesy" Lily told him happily "Can I kiss you again?"

While James beamed triumphantly and dipped his head down to capture Lily's lips with his own Hermione cuddled against Sirius's scarred chest. It felt nice to hold him.

Sirius looked down at the girl cuddled against him and smiled goofily, as though he was as thrilled as James had been when Lily kissed him, just to have Hermione cuddled up against his chest.

"What did you call me a moment ago?" he asked her softly.

Hermione leant back, bringing her arms up and wrapping the around his neck. She felt like she'd had too much butterbeer, but Sirius was so pretty when he smiled like that and she was completely smitten with him so what did it matter if she blurted out things she shouldn't, like maybe how she really felt about him. Sirius looked so handsome when Hermione smiled at him. "I used to call you Snuffles." She murmured to him.

"When?" Sirius asked her, his brow crinkling for a moment in confusion as though he didn't understand.

"Before." Hermione babbled happily "Before I came here. We used to call you Snuffles. As a dog you'd get so excited to see us and you'd bounce around and those black floppy ears of yours would flap as you bounded happily." Hermione whispered, picturing in her mind the times she and Harry and Ron had crept into Hogsmede with food for Sirius while he hid out in that little cave. "And you used to make me laugh so much when you did that. I used to think that you were at your happiest when you bounced around as a dog like that."

"Before? What do you mean before? Before you came here I'd never met you." Sirius asked her confusedly.

"You're so adorable when you frown like that." She told him softly, her eyes meeting his and staring into the blue depths that she seemed to be falling into. "But you look the best when you smile. I love it when you smile."

Hermione nodded at him happily and reached up to pat at his cheek gently as though she couldn't believe he was actually real.

"I love it when you smile at me like that." Sirius told her, beaming goofily again.

"I want to sit down." Hermione declared suddenly, looking around. "Sit Snuffles. Let's sit."

Sirius laughed and splashed after Hermione as she bounded out of his arms towards a seat along the pool wall. Hermione plopped onto the seat, grinning when Sirius shuffled close to her.

"Look Sirius" Hermione snickered, tugging on his hair to get his attention before pointing at James and Lily. "They're kissing!"

"Maybe they like kissing." Sirius said.

"I like kissing. Do you like kissing Sirius?" Hermione asked.

"I like kissing. It's nice. I never believed those lies they told about girls having cooties."

"No, no, boys had rabies. My mother told me to stay away from boys because they'd try to kiss me and give me rabies. And then one day Billy Gablehouse chased me and when he caught me he told me we were playing catch and kiss and then he kissed me and I didn't get rabies." Hermione babbled.

"Boys don't have rabies. And girls don't have cooties. That's why it's ok to kiss them."

"James and Lily are kissing." Hermione whispered childishly. "They're naughty. Kissing is something only bad girls do. Unless they're in love. Everyone knows that if you're in love with someone you're allowed to kiss them."

"I don't know." Hermione told him slyly "Can you catch me? Because catch and kiss was fun." Hermione said before shrieking happily and leaping to her feet on the steps before jumping out of the pool and running along next to it.

"I'm going to catch you!" Sirius cried as he chased after her.

James pulled back from Lily for a moment to watch Sirius chase Hermione around the edge of the pool.

"Are they in love?" Lily giggled. James looked down at the girl he'd been in love with since second year.

"I am." He told her "I'm in love with you Lily."

Lily Evans looked away from the teenagers chasing each other around the pool edge and into James's warm hazel eyes. "I think I'm in love with you too Potter."

The smile that cracked James's face had more brightness than the sun. "Does that mean you'll be my girlfriend?" he asked her hopefully. Lily grinned and nodded shyly before James' scooped her into his arms and crushed her against him, kissing her with every ounce of passion he had in his body.

Hermione screamed even as she giggled when Sirius Black tackled her into the pool. All around them the scent of cotton candy filled the air as several huge pink love heart bubbles popped. Sirius still had his arms wrapped around her when they surfaced and he smirked at her wickedly.

"Now what were the rules of kissing?" Sirius asked her huskily "Because I do believe kissing was ok if people are in love, that was your rules? That and playing catch and kiss?"

Hermione smiled wickedly and nodded.

"Then I get to kiss you twice." Sirius whispered, his hand tunnelling into Hermione's wet hair and tilting her face up as his dipped down.

Hermione closed her eyes as Sirius's soft warm lips swept against hers for the very first time.

For just a moment, she let herself get lost in the incredible feel of his lips on hers. In the silky softness of them as they moved tenderly with hers. Hermione could see stares behind her eyelids and her heart was fluttering with joy but before he could deepen the kiss and steal her heart completely, Hermione pulled away from him with a husky chuckle. Running had cleared her head slightly and Hermione fought against Sirius when he tried to pull her back in for another kiss.

"You're going to have to better than that Sirius Black. I'm not one of your conquests."

Sirius stared down at her, his eyes twinkling with something she couldn't understand as he cupped her cheeks in his hands.

"Nope. You're not." He told her in a whisper "You are so, so much more to me than that."


	14. That Would Be Telling

**A/N: Thanks to all of you who review such nice things. Also to all those who favorite my stories or my profile. It means a lot to know there are people out there who think that the stuff i spend so much time writing is worth while. =) Another knew shocking chapter and I will be working really hard to get a new update for all three fanfics up and running this week. Much Love my cherubs xx-Kitten.**

Chapter 14: That Would Be Telling

Hermione's eyes searched Sirius's face, looking for some hint as to whether he really meant those words or whether it was just another line that he had whispered to every girl he seduced. Feeling sparkled within those blue eyes and Hermione just knew that right then, it didn't matter to her if those words were just a line. They cleared her head and warmed her soul and Hermione smiled shyly at the boy who'd stolen her heart.

Sirius smiled softly as he felt Hermione kiss his cheek. Scooping her up, he cradled her against his chest as he walked through the water to the edge of the pool where he could sit on the step with Hermione in his lap. Hermione pressed soft kisses against Sirius's cheek as he carried her, his wonderful scent seemed to fill the whole room and Hermione couldn't believe he was here cradling her to his chest. Her heart was fluttering happily inside her chest.

"You're so beautiful" Sirius whispered into her ear. Hermione smiled as she leant back so she could look into his eyes. "How did we ever get along without you here?" Sirius murmured to her as he smiled at her. He looked happy and content to have her sitting on his lap and smiling at him like that.

Now that she was out of the water laced with Amortentia Hermione felt her mind begin to clear slightly.

"Oh you know, Lily hated James and you slept around and Remus had never kissed me and Peter felt left out." Hermione shrugged at him cheekily "But then I came along and look at James and Lily now." Hermione said, waving her hand at the couple. James sat on steps at the other end of the pool and Lily was wrapped around him. She looked to straddling his hips and her hands were tangled in his messy hair as she snogged him. "But it's my job to change everything here." Hermione murmured "Though so far getting them together seems to have been my only success."

Sirius tilted his head questioningly when Hermione turned back to smile at him. "Well, that and the fact that you can't keep your eyes off me." She teased him cheekily.

"I was taught that Beauty should be admired and treasured." Sirius told her softly "And you are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

Hermione giggled "You're just saying that because you're trying to charm me into sleeping with you. But we both know it's not going to happen Sirius Black."

"I'm not just saying it to get you into bed 'Mione." Sirius told her, his blue eyes boring into her brown ones "I've never known anyone like you."

Hermione rolled her eyes at him "You're going to have to do better than that Sirius. Might be time to break out you're a-game. At least if you want a chance of even trying to convince me to sleep with you then you are." Hermione told him before she pulled out of his embrace and paddled away from him lazily. She smirked at him wickedly as love heart shaped bubbles floated all around her. Hermione let her feet touch the bottom as she gently scooped one up and blew it towards Sirius. It floated towards him until it brushed against his chest, where it popped softly, releasing its sweet fragrance under his nose.

Slowly he slid down the steps until he stood chest deep in the multicoloured water.

"My A-game you say?" His blue eyes teased her wickedly "Are you sure Hermione? I brought you my B-game upstairs and you were like putty in my hands."

Hermione scoffed "Oh please, it's not a crime for me to enjoy what you do as you try to seduce me, but I was completely in control the whole time." she grinned wickedly as she paddled over and leant against the pool edge, stretching her arms out along the edge Hermione pressed her back against the wall and let her head fall back until it lay on the pool edge, her back arched and her breasts protruding from the water. Hermione smiled when she heard the stirring of the water as Sirius waded towards her.

She was dying to kiss him again, her whole body tingled for it, but Hermione knew that if she kissed his soft lips again like she wanted to, her heart would be lost to him if it wasn't already. One kiss had practically brought her undone. Another and Hermione had no doubt that she would be lost to him forever. She stayed still as felt Sirius get closer and closer to her and Hermione chuckled wickedly when she felt his knee slide in between her thighs.

Her pulse began to race and Hermione brought her legs up until they were wrapped around him and she lifted her head to give him a flirty little smile. Sirius's eyes sparkled lustfully as they ravished her figure but in spite of Hermione's legs wrapped around his waist Sirius made no move touch her. Instead Hermione had to wrap her arms around his neck to save herself from the uncomfortable position she had gotten herself into.

"You know 'Mione, there's a whole lot more to this game than physical enticement." Sirius murmured as Hermione hung off his neck. "You've got to know you're opponent, see? And you made the mistakes of making your intentions known." Sirius told her, grinning slyly.

"No I didn't baby, all I told you was that I won't be just another one of your conquests." Hermione told him before unfurling her legs from around him and letting go of his neck. Hermione smirked as she turned away from him and as she strolled up the steps and out of the water Hermione let her hips swing gently from side to side, knowing that the tactic that worked best for Sirius when he wanted a girl was playing hard to get. So far Hermione knew that she teased him and tempted him with touch, but to hook him she would need to go only so far with teasing touches and bedroom eyes before pulling away and leaving him wanting more.

Hermione glanced over at Lily and James. His hands were in her hair and they snogged as though they knew they been depriving themselves for the past five years. Clearly Lily wasn't going to win gold as far as seduction went, but she also had the advantage of James already being in love with her. She already had his heart, now all Lily needed to do was give him hers in return. Hermione glanced back over at Sirius as she reclined in one of the sun beds by the pool edge. He was still watching her.

To Hermione the entire room smelled of diesel and warm leather and freshly mown grass and timber. All of the things that Sirius smelled like.

"I wonder how Remus is faring at his parents' house" Hermione said softly as Sirius levered himself out of the pool and lounged in the chair next to Hermione. Sirius frowned at her words.

"When he gets here tomorrow, be sure to hug him gently." Sirius told her "He'll be hurting himself right now and by morning he'll be sore." Sirius sounded unhappy as he spoke and Hermione watched his face.

"It must be so hard on him. It's only once a month, but I know that even when you guys are with him, he dreads the transformation." Hermione said softly, hoping the effects of the potion that still had her mind feeling fuzzy were keeping Lily entirely wrapped up in James.

"We joke and make light of it, but until we learned the truth about him he hated himself. Once he'd admitted the truth and we still accepted him, he was happier." Sirius said softly.

Hermione smiled as Sirius glanced at her. So he was still trying to get the truth out of her, was he?

"Sometimes the truth doesn't simplify things Sirius. For Remus it did because he could stop lying to his friends and know that you all accepted him for what he is. But that's not always the case. Sometimes knowing the truth about someone just makes it even harder to be their friend."

Hermione could see that stubbornness she had come to know glittering in Sirius's blue eyes and Hermione knew they were going to argue for the second time that evening. Not wanting to disturb Lily and James and not wanting to rain on their love parade, Hermione got to her feet and waved her wand until she and Sirius were both dry before exiting the room. Sirius was right behind her as she strode through the dark mansion.

"Why won't you just tell me?" Sirius hissed at her as they reached the corridor that led to their rooms.

"I just told you Sirius. The truth will only complicate things. I said too much tonight as it was. I hope to Merlin Lily was too effected by the water and by James to remember what I said to her. And what I told you was no better. I'm too comfortable with all of you." Hermione explained.

She was about to turn into her room but Sirius took hold of her arm and dragged her into his instead, closing the door and locking it before waving his wand and muttering silencing spells so that they wouldn't be overheard.

"What could possibly be so bad about you that you can't tell us the truth about who you are?" Sirius demanded angrily. Hermione crossed her arms over her chest.

"Sirius please just let it go. I said too much tonight. I'm not saying anymore. We had fun going swimming, please don't ruin the night by arguing with me about this. It's so much more than just not telling you by choice. I _can't_ tell you. Do you understand? Please, swimming was fun. Let's just leave it at that for now." Hermione asked of him.

Sirius didn't look cooperative.

"And why did you decide you wanted to go swimming with me in the middle of the night Hermione?" Sirius demanded suspiciously.

"Aren't I allowed to be spontaneous?" Hermione asked in a pouty voice.

"You made it quite clear at dinner that you're allowed to do whatever you bloody well like." Sirius growled.

"Still brooding over that, huh?" Hermione asked in her regular voice, momentarily dropping the seduction and grinning at him.

"You would be if me and Prongs went off to the London for the day and we didn't tell you."

Hermione thought about that for a moment. He did have a point.

"We were going to tell you" Hermione admitted "But I knew that if we told you we were going to London for the day, you and James would insist on accompanying us and Lily wanted to buy a dress to wear to the Ball on New Year's Eve and didn't want James to see it until then. Besides, it's not like you would have had fun trailing around with us as we went shopping all day."

"So why not say that rather than just disappearing?" Sirius demanded angrily. Hermione felt her eyebrows rise in shock at his tone. "Look 'Mione, I don't know what the truth is about you. You admitted yourself that if I ever did know my brain might explode. You also admitted that you're not just some recently orphaned French girl. And I apologise in advance if my next words hurt but you told us that your mother recently died. You didn't say how, though you implied that apparently your house also burned down or blew up. And I can only think of one group of scumbags who would kill your mother and destroy your house like that. If he killed your mother then you can probably imagine why we all panicked when we woke up and you and Evans were gone. Evans is muggle born for Merlin's sake! And now you're saying that I can't know whatever secret it is you're keeping from us because you just _can't tell me_?"

"You thought Voldemort or his Death Eaters had somehow gotten through all the protective wards on this house and kidnapped us?" Hermione whispered, suddenly realising why they had been so worried. And of course they would assume that. Hermione hadn't admitted anything about her own blood status but the supposed circumstances around her fake mother's death did make it seem like she had been murdered by Death Eater's.

Sirius glared down at her.

Just as in her own time, fear permeated the minds of witched and wizards as Voldemort hungered for power. Hermione bit her lip wondering how she could have forgotten that the same fear existed here as He gathered followers. How could she have forgotten that it fell to her to prevent the future she had known from every unfolding?

"I'm sorry." Hermione whispered as she let her eyes stray back to Sirius. "I'm sorry we worried you like that. Somehow I forgot about the threat of it all. I forgot that communication was important, that shopping sprees and girl's days were foolish and reckless and unnecessary. I forgot that just about anybody could be a Death Eater, and this time around I don't have any idea whose faces I should be looking for."

Sirius frowned at her.

"How do you do it?" he asked her softly.

Hermione glanced up at him. "Do what?"

"Manage to be such an enigma? Every time I think I might have begun to figure you out you say something or you do something that completely throws me."

Hermione smirked at him. "It really bothers you doesn't it? That I won't tell you the truth? And I would if I could, but even the little things will change everything. And I can't tell you the big things."

"Why not? What could possibly be so important or so bad that you can't tell me?" Sirius demanded.

"Don't be mad" Hermione whispered placing her hand against his cheek.

"Don't be mad? Woman, I have no idea who you are. Against my better judgement I've kept the fact that you're a liar from my family and we've never had secrets from each other. But for all I know you could be lying about everything. You could be working for Him." Sirius accused.

Hermione reached around and whipped her wand out of the back of her bikini bottoms and twirled it until the candles and torches in his room flickered to life. When she focused back on Sirius Hermione raised her eyebrows in shock. He had taken several steps back from her and he had his wand trained on her.

"Did you really just accuse me of working for Voldemort?" Hermione's voice whipped out icily.

"Yeah. I did. Your tongue has more forks than all the scum in the snake pit. And I wouldn't put it past my mother to send someone in to attempt to seduce me back to the dark side."

There was bitterness in his voice as he spoke and Hermione was reminded of the time she had spent at Grimauld Place in the summer of last year. Sirius had been so bitter and unhappy about being back in that house, he'd even seemed to feel disgraced to be related to his family members, and he had especially hated his mother. She remembered his anger and disgust to be a part of such a family and Hermione was reminded again that while his parents had never become Death Eaters, his mother and father had believe in what Voldemort wanted to do, Hermione was fairly certain he'd also mentioned something about a brother who did become a Death Eater before trying to back out and being killed. She remembered that he had told them that before Voldemort showed his true colours and showed how far he was willing to go to take power a lot of the pureblood families had supported him.

As she stared at Sirius now Hermione realised just how bad his home life must be. She remembered that Harry had told her Sirius had run away from home at sixteen, that he'd lived here with the Potters until he was seventeen, before one of his uncles had left him a large sum of gold and he'd gotten his own place. However, as she stared at him Hermione realised something. He's told Harry he ran away at sixteen and the Potter's adopted him as a second son. Yet it seemed as though they had done that already in this time, as though they had done that in first year. Hermione tilted her head, wondering if more than just her being shot back here had been altered in time, because it seemed to her that there were a few new developments in this time already that hadn't been in her old time.

Hermione realised something else. In this time Voldemort probably hadn't shown his true colours yet. It was early days as far as his evil reign went. So her knowledge of him and his followers probably did look bad given that she was lying about her whole life.

"How can you say that?" Hermione hissed venomously "More than anyone else in this whole world I want that monster dead! Do you understand me? If I knew where he was I would apparate there and end his life right now! Before he can even really begin the reign of evil and the dark times that will be our future if he isn't stopped." Hermione snarled, pointing her wand at Sirius because he had his trained on her face threateningly.

"How do I know that? For all I know, everything you've told me is a lie. It seems like it is. Is Hermione Peverell even your real name?" Sirius snarled at her.

Hermione searched his face in the now lit room and found that if she didn't answer that question honestly he wouldn't hesitate to hex her. Slowly, Hermione lowered her wand, an awful realisation unfolding within her mind. She would have to tell him. She couldn't tell him everything, but if she was going to live through the next hour, let alone be here in this time for the rest of her life, then she would have to give him some of the truth. Taking a deep breath Hermione walked slowly over and sank down onto the couch by his fireplace, flicking her wand at the embers and producing a log to fight off the sudden chill she felt.

When Hermione glanced at Sirius she found him watching her closely, his wand still trained on her threateningly. Suddenly aware of the fact that she only wore a bikini Hermione silently twirled her wand until she was dressed in the types of clothes she had worn in her own time, a comfortable pair of sweat pants and one of her oldest Weasley jumpers. For just a moment she stared at her clothes in shock before glancing at her wand. Conjuring clothes was difficult but not impossible, however as she stared at the sleeve of her pink jumper Hermione realised she had just conjured the actual jumper Mrs Weasley had given her in fourth year. It even had the burn mark on the sleeve from the mishap she'd had in potion brewing one morning in third year.

"You don't need to keep that trained on me Sirius" Hermione said wearily "And you might as well sit down. This will be hard to believe."

"You're going to tell me the truth?" he murmured in shock.

"I know you said you have no secrets from the Potters, but I must ask that you keep mine." Hermione whispered once Sirius had dropped into the vacant space beside her. He faced her and his wand was still clenched in his hand on his thigh but for the moment he no longer pointed it at her threateningly.

"If I feel they should know I won't hesitate to tell them."

"You will feel they should know. But you'll ruin Christmas if you tell them."

"If I have to I will." Sirius shrugged.

"Sirius… before I start…. You should know…. I lied about a lot of things, but my personality is the same as it's always been. Except for the lying. I'm not a liar. But you should know that as a person, I'm who I've always been and how I've always been." Hermione told him "I just don't want you to hate me" She added in a whisper as she searched his handsome face worriedly.

Sirius watched her with a tight, closed off expression.

Taking a deep breath Hermione looked him in the eye as she began to speak "My name isn't Hermione Peverell. It's Hermione Granger." She dropped the first bomb on him.

Sirius didn't look all that surprised to learn that she had lied about her name.

"My parents aren't dead. The last time I saw them was when I waved goodbye to them from the Hogwarts express on the first of September. They're both alive and well. And they're both muggles." Hermione admitted softly.

"Hermione you didn't appear at Hogwarts until mid November." Sirius said shortly.

"Sirius, before I say anything else…" Hermione whispered "I need to ask you something. When I tell you what I say next, I would like if you didn't ask for details ok? Can you do that? And please don't tell the others. If you need to you can tell them the things I've already told you, but the information will only leave them confused because I know they'll ask me questions I won't answer."

"I don't know if I can do that Hermione. If they need to be asked I'll ask them." He offered in compromise.

Hermione looked away from Sirius then, dreading admitting the truth to him. Dreading the questions he wouldn't be able to stop himself from asking.

"My name is Hermione Granger and I was born on the nineteenth of September 1979."

Sirius Black stared at Hermione Peverell/ Granger.

"Funny, you're incredibly developed for a negative three year old." He sneered.

He didn't believe her. Of course he didn't believe her because time travel hadn't been invented yet, so mishaps with time travel were even more inconceivable. And why should he believe her, when she'd lied about almost everything else?

"I'm glad you think so!" Hermione snapped at him.

"If you were just going to be an idiot about this Hermione…." Sirius started.

"Sirius I'm not joking around. Why would I make that up? I lied about the other stuff because how else could I explain away the fact that I landed exactly twenty years in the past on the Quidditch pitch? How else could I have explained why I suddenly lived at Hogwarts but had nothing and no one?" Hermione asked him.

"Do you remember that day Sirius? I landed on the pitch and when I opened my eyes you and James were standing over me and I smiled in relief at James and called him Harry. When I fell you caught me and I thanked you by name even though you had never seen me before in your life."

Sirius looked wary of her as he remembered the day she had appeared in his life. He looked like maybe he wanted to believe her, but simply couldn't.

"I pretended to faint after I called you Sirius because I wasn't supposed to know you. But on the seventeenth of November 1996, I sat in the library at Hogwarts researching time travel for an essay and found a spell that is supposedly used in a time travelling device that won't be invented until 1981. I tested it for accuracy, intending to go back in time by two hours." Hermione said her voice calm now as Sirius began to look just a little bit convinced "Instead I landed on the Quidditch pitch twenty years in the past staring up into your face."

"But how can you have gone back further in time than you were born. If you're telling the truth, somewhere in the world, you're parents will give birth to you three year from now, yet here you are. How is that possible?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. As it was, Dumbledore was headmaster while I was at Hogwarts and is the most amazing wizard alive, I asked for him in the hopes that he could help, but other than coming up with a suitable lie to explain my being here and providing me with everything I could ever need he wasn't really able to comment since time travel hasn't been discovered here yet."

"And you knew me?" Twenty years from now you knew me?"

Hermione hesitated. Because she knew that in the five weeks she'd been here she'd fallen in love with Sirius Black, yet by revealing any more information, the fact that he was nineteen years older than her in her own time made the fact that she had fallen in love with him slightly awkward.

"Sirius… please don't ask me anything about the time I lived in. Please?" Hermione begged of him "I told you the truth, I'm not supposed to be here, yet I'm apparently stuck here for the rest of my life. The lies I told were to protect everyone from the truth. It's far safer for everyone to believe that I'm an orphaned transfer student than to know I was a sixteen year old witch twenty years from now. Because just like you are itching to, everyone wants to know how their lives look twenty years from now. And I won't tell you. I won't tell any of you."

"Why not? This could be the best to ever happen. If we make mistakes in the future, we'll be able to know not to make them if we know how they turn out." Sirius said "You knew all of us didn't you? Otherwise how would you have known about Remus and the rest the Marauders getting furry once a month? Outside of Mum and Dad no one knows but us. Except that you did."

"Sirius I won't say anything more than to admit that yes, I knew about all of you. I'm not telling you anything else."

"But why not? Won't you even tell us if we were happy?"

"Are you going to tell the others then?" Hermione asked him softly.

"Why wouldn't I? This is incredibly cool."

Hermione watched the sixteen year old version of Sirius Black wiggle in his seat like the excitable puppy dog he could turn into with a sad expression on her face. Because he was wrong. Her situation wasn't cool. It was hard and sad. How could she answer even the smallest of questions like whether or not he was happy twenty years from now, when in the future Hermione had known -Lily, James and Sirius had all been dead?

"Sirius…. It's not incredibly cool. Please don't tell the others. And please don't ask me questions about the future. I won't tell you in case it becomes a lie."

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked her, suddenly sombre.

"I mean that I'm not telling you about the future because my being here will change almost everything about the future I knew. Because I lived that future Sirius. And I won't do it again."

Hermione spoke softly but she watched her words register on Sirius's face. Watched the way his mind began to unfold the weight of the situation as he considered the possibility that just maybe he and his friends hadn't been happy twenty years from now.

"I won't tell the others." He whispered to her "And I'm sorry for you that you were ripped away from your life and hurled back to here. It must be difficult, knowing what you know of our futures and not speaking about it or interfering with them unfolding."

"Sirius I am interfering. I won't live that future again…. Neither will you."

"So I'm nineteen years older than you huh?" Sirius said cheekily, trying to lighten the tension in the room.

"No. You were when I was born. But Dumbledore thinks I won't actually be born again. Because me being here will change everything. So you're the same as age as me. I'm stuck here and I landed here at sixteen, and you're sixteen here too. It is a problem for you that I knew you when you're hair was not as shiny as it is now?"

"You secretly had a thing for me then didn't you 'Mione?" Sirius teased her with a wink before reaching out and pulling her into a hug.

Adopting a surfie stoner tone Hermione replied "Dude you were like, totally old."

Hermione smiled when Sirius leant back in his chair and dragged her with him so that her head was resting on his bare chest. He stretched himself out lengthways on the couch and Hermione snuggled down against him. Hermione felt Sirius sigh as she snuggled against him.

The weight of the forgiveness in his hug gave Hermione pause. Sirius was an easy going guy, but he had just found out that the girl he'd been friends with and flirting with for the past five weeks was actually nineteen years younger than him and hand been born three years in the future. Yet as he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head Hermione knew that it didn't bother him a bit. And just as she imagined Remus had done when he'd confessed to his friends that he was a werewolf, Hermione felt better for having told Sirius the truth about herself.

"Cane I ask just one question please 'Mione?" Sirius whispered "I promise it's nothing consequential."

"I reserve the right not to answer."

"Was I still handsome?"

Hermione lifted her head and peered into his incredibly handsome face, his twinkling blue eyes told her that he knew it was an extremely vain question.

"I suppose that depends. Your hair hung to your elbows, and it was dirty and matted and a little gross. You had a lot of wrinkles too. When I met you for the first time you were terrifying, covered in grime and wearing rags; I thought you were a murderer." Hermione told him honestly "But you weren't. Once you'd showered a few times and cut off some of your hair… I suppose you were sort of handsome, in an old man kind of way." Hermione teased him.

Sirius looked horrified.

"My hair will never be matted." Sirius declared clearly appalled to hear that he had ever let it get so disgusting. Hermione giggled at him as she rested her head back on his chest.

She felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders to have told just one friend the truth. Letting her eyes slide closed Hermione felt warm and content and she realised suddenly that she was happy here. She was away from her parents, who might never know her, and Harry and Ron who may not enter her life for years, but for all that, she felt content.

"Hermione?" Sirius whispered to her as he laid there with his wrapped around her while she wrested her head on his chest and had one arm wrapped across him comfortably.

"Hmm?" Hermione hummed at him without opening her eyes.

"I know it's probably a selfish thing to say… But I'm really glad you landed here."


	15. Dangerous Games

Chapter 15: Dangerous Games.

The sound of loud throat clearing had Sirius Black slowly opening his eyes. Sleep clutched at him and he let his eyes slide closed again, but the awful sound came again and Sirius cracked one eyelid open to search for the source of the disgustingly loud sound. Who would possibly be waking him this early in the morning?

The first thing he caught sight of was dark blue bell-bottoms. Two pairs of them. They seemed to be standing directly in his line of vision and as Sirius cracked the other eye open his gaze travelled up the bodies standing in front of him to land on the faces of James Potter- his best friend and adopted brother, and Remus Lupin- his other best friend and adopted brother. After all, like Sirius, Remus felt more at home with the Potters than he did at his real parents' house and he also had his own room here in the Potter house.

Remus and Sirius were very much in the same boat in that regard and it allowed them a camaraderie that Peter didn't share. That was why at times he seemed so left out, because even though he was their fourth best friend, he didn't live out his holidays here with the Potters. He spent as much time as he could here, but his parents liked to have him home when he wasn't away at school.

James and Remus were smirking down at him and Sirius smirked right back at his brothers.

"Well if it isn't my friend with the furry little problem." Sirius drawled at his friends, making a move to sit up so he could hug Remus.

That was around the time a sound of protest came from the warm, soft weight on his chest. Startled, Sirius glanced towards the sound and his vision was practically encased in a mass of light brown frizziness. Quickly taking stock of the situation Sirius became aware of three things - the first was that the sleepily protesting warmth on his chest was actually Hermione, the second was that they were both snuggled up on the couch in his bedroom in front of the fireplace and the third was that whilst snuggled up as they were, Sirius wore only board shorts.

Glancing back towards his now sniggering friends, Sirius smirked at them.

"Bet this looks bad." He said.

"Well you could say that." Remus said mildly "Though we're not really unaccustomed to waking you with innocent young women asleep on your chest. What have you been doing to our sweet, innocent Hermione, Padfoot?"

Sirius laughed at Remus's words as last night came flooding back to him. She might be sweet but Hermione was less than innocent. She was lying to all of them, and she had managed to fool every one of them. Because she wasn't just an orphaned sixteen year old who had transferred to Hogwarts. She was from twenty years in the future. A future in which she had known all four of the Marauders as well as Lily Evans. A future that her silence had indicated was perhaps not as happy an affair for the Marauders as they might have hoped it would be.

"We all went swimming late last night after Lily and Hermione showed up at our doors wearing nothing but bikinis." James told Remus "It seems that neither of them is as innocent as we thought."

"You and Evans dating yet Prongs?" Sirius asked him slyly as Hermione snuggled her face against his bare chest. The beaming smile that cracked James Potter's face had both Remus and Sirius laughing. Their messy haired friend had been in love with Evans since second year and he had finally convinced her to be his girlfriend.

"That's well and good, but I'm far more intrigued by this little scene." Remus said, smirking down at Sirius. Because Sirius had his arms wrapped around Hermione where she slept on him and Hermione had her arm curled around his scarred chest and her leg slung over Sirius's thighs.

"Oh come on Moony, these days Padfoot's had it as bad as I have." James said, snorting softly as they peered down at the boy and girl on the couch.

"Yeah, but Hermione's got more sense than all the other girls Sirius develops an interest in. She thinks he'll only play with her emotions until he gets bored and the next short skirt sashays past." Remus said.

"You were under the influence of the potion last night" James accused his long haired friend "You told her you've got it bad for her didn't you mate?"

"I said a few things, but she doesn't believe anything I tell her. She accused me of recycling my 'lines' and saying whatever I think might get me in her pants." Sirius grumbled.

"Seems our Padfoot doesn't like it when the one girl he actually means those words about see's though them as the hooks he's used to lure other innocent young women into his wicked clutches." Remus laughed.

"That's what happens when you fall for the smart ones Padfoot, they see straight through the bollocks to the fact that we're actually idiots." James told him.

Sirius froze as Hermione began to stir against him.

"What happened to her hair? It looks like cola flavoured Cotton-candy floss." James whispered loudly.

"I think the bubbles in the pool sent it haywire…" Sirius whispered back.

"The bubbles didn't help, but it does this every time I sleep on it when it's wet." Hermione's voice interrupted.

Sirius glanced down at her face and found her warm brown eyes watching him.

"We really ought to stop meeting like this." She told him with a smile as she lifted her head from his warm chest and clambered over him to get to her feet.

"Morning James." Hermione said once she had stretched languidly. "Remus, when did you get here?" She asked before stepping into him and wrapping her arms gently around his waist.

"About a half hour ago." Remus told her as he hugged her just as gently "Everyone except Charlus was asleep, but he let me in and told me to wake everyone."

"It's good to see you." Hermione told him as she let him go.

Very slowly Hermione reached up and touched her hair before groaning softly as her fingers immediately became tangled in the nest. Sirius laughed at her as he hugged Remus.

"Where's Evans?" he asked of James "I thought for sure you'd never let go of her after last night."

"She's asleep. In her bed." James said, glancing pointedly between Sirius and Hermione. "You know Mum will flip if she finds out Hermione slept in here. She's been worrying for a month about having the girls stay here. She doesn't trust us as it is. Especially you Padfoot. She nearly didn't want to let the girls stay here in case somehow unplanned teenage pregnancy occurs on her watch. She only conceded when we pointed out that Hermione and Lily had no one else to spend Christmas with and you know she can't bear the thought of anyone being alone on Christmas."

Sirius nodded as he scratched his bare chest and Hermione noticed the remorseful way Remus was eyeing the scars he had left on his friend.

"Relax James, the only possible unplanned pregnancy that could occur under this roof will be if Lily and you get a little bit too frisky." Hermione told him, patting his arm as she wandered towards the door "And knowing you, you'd be overjoyed at that type of news anyway." Hermione said around a yawn before she left the room.

"She still has absolutely no idea that you've fallen for her, does she?" Remus said, as he watched Sirius frown at Hermione's words and utter dismissal of the fact that she had slept on Sirius's chest three times now.

SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB.

Hermione learned a great deal about the marauders over the course of the day. It turned out Peter had been unable to convince his parents to let him spend only part of Christmas Day with them, so he wasn't going to arrive until Boxing Day. That didn't keep the Marauders from their antics though. All three of them were nothing but rascals. In spite of the restrictions on using magic outside of school, they constantly snuck out of sight of Mr and Mrs Potter and had impromptu duels with one another.

Hermione herself had become a fierce and formidable opponent and Lily Evans had proven her own skills when she had caught Sirius off-guard with a particularly strong Tarantallegra spell and had him dancing non-stop for a half hour before Remus finally took pity on him and performed the counter curse. Hermione had been unable to stop laughing as she'd watched Sirius perform intricate break dance moves she had no idea he had any idea how to perform. Of course when he'd been released from the spell he'd slumped to the ground groaning in pain from all the pulled muscles.

Hermione had also suggested after Remus had hit her with a tickling jinx, which she had silently reversed upon him that it might be worth it for them to begin training akin to the magic she had performed in her fifth year under Harry's instruction in the DA.

"I know it sounds a little odd, but instead of us just randomly throwing jinxes and hexes at each other that we know, I thought it might be really good for all of us to work on things that we aren't as gifted with." Hermione explained to the group.

They were currently gathered in the library, where the boys had found Hermione and Lily pouring through spell books in the extensive library of Potter Manor. Both girls thirsted for knowledge that as Muggle-borns they hadn't always been able to access.

James Remus and Sirius were slouched on armchairs around Hermione and Lily, where they had thrown themselves after the darkness and cold had forced them to abandon the Quidditch game they had been playing.

"Last year I had a teacher who refused to teach us the practical forms of Defence Against the Dark Arts, so my best friends and I formed a secret group of select students who wanted to learn the practical side. We'd get together in the room of requirement and practice at spells we weren't so good at, helping each other out at the ones we were good at. Lily could teach all of us how to perform such a powerful Tarantellgra spell, and James you're really good with Levicorpus. What I'm suggesting here is that we help each other at perfecting the spells we aren't so good at, maybe we can learn some new spells, and learn how to throw off some spells."

"That could be really fun, and there are some spells I just can't seem to get the knack of." Lily said excitedly as the boys all nodded along.

"For now obviously it will just be us, but if you guys can think of anyone we can trust at school that might benefit from this we could set up the same sort of things I was doing last year." Hermione said, smiling at their enthusiasm "The biggest issue is getting people to keep quiet about it. We don't want the whole school knowing because it will eventually get back to the teachers and while I know some teachers like Albus won't mind that we're improving our magic, there are some who will be less than pleased to have students duelling in school."

"I'd like to give it a shot, we've been duelling here anyway and I really want to learn non-verbal magic." Remus said, glancing at Hermione as he spoke because she had used silent magic earlier on him.

"There's just one thing guys, I'm sure Mum and Dad won't mind, but how far do we intend to go with this?" James said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked.

"Well, there is a whole lot of magic out there that I would love to work on mastering." James said, his eyes shifting restlessly and Hermione realised what he was really trying to ask.

"James, I think I know what you mean… You want to know how far we'll go with the exploration of spells, and that shifty way you keep glancing around is telling me that you're curious about some of the not so safe hexes. Am I right?"

James nodded at her.

"I just can't get it out of my head that day when you were attacked by Snivellus and Malfoy. You kicked ass that day and there was this look in your eyes as you told them that if they ever uttered Unforgiveables again and you heard about it, you'd turn those spells on them with a vengeance."

"You think 'Mione's toyed with the Dark Arts then James?" Sirius asked softly, his eyes weren't on James though, they were fixed on Hermione and she knew that his head was still reeling from her admitting the truth to him about her being from twenty years in the future.

James remained silent, but his silence itself suggested that he did think she had.

"I'd be more than willing to bet that the scar you have across your torso wasn't inflicted by Light magic 'Mione." Sirius murmured when everyone else had turned to look at Hermione.

"I know a little of Dark Magic. And I suppose while we're on the subject that I ought to suggest a few more spells we could work on. Mostly they would be precautionary measures, but I'm a firm believer that if it ever comes to war between Light and Dark, light is at a disadvantage. That being said I think that evil is not only inevitable, but sometimes necessary."

"What do you mean?" Lily asked sharply and Hermione turned towards her, realising that her words probably reminded Lily very much of Severus Snape.

"What was it you told me on the train 'Mione? Didn't you refer to yourself as being the 'evil that fights for the good side'?" Sirius said.

"I did and I meant it. I know that we're taught that experimentation with the Darker Arts is forbidden and a slippery slope. But I also know that when evil strikes, good is only half as prepared because evil often knows all of good's spells as well as a plethora of evil ones. I will not be so disadvantaged and while it is up to each of you to make that decision for yourselves, I would like to suggest that you come with me as I journey into the world of less than friendly spells." Hermione said, looking at each of them in turn "For the purpose of what we're doing with our duelling, I would mostly suggest we work on some of the nasty offensive spells, but especially the defensive ones so that if it ever comes to it we know counter curses and how to defend ourselves against nasty spells. I had an insane professor in my fourth year who insisted that every one of his students above third year learn what it feels like to be put under the Imperius curse, and to pass the class we had to be able to effectively throw off the spell. I know a little of Legilemency and Occlumency too."

As Hermione stared at the group she was met with shocked and horrified expressions until her gaze landed on Sirius she found him watching her with an odd expression.

"I know how to throw off the Imperius curse too." He murmured "My father insisted that his children had to know how to keep from being influenced that way. He also insisted we know what it's like to experience the Cruciatus curse."

Hermione felt a hatred for the Black family bubble in her chest at the tormented expression Sirius wore as he remembered the pain of the torture curse.

"Wait a minute" Lily interrupted "You're not only suggesting that we perform spells and engage in duelling outside of school, and again in school when we get there, but also that you think we should learn how to perform and throw off one of the three Unforgivable curses known to wizardkind?"

"I admit it does sound a little insane…." Remus said "But then, when has anything we've ever done not been a little insane?"

"Moony's right. It's crazy but I'm in. I want to learn everything, even some of the things we shouldn't know. Hermione where did you ever get this idea?" James said, clearly forgetting that Lily still didn't know about the Marauders being animagi and Remus being werewolf.

Hermione smiled fondly as she thought about when she had come up with the idea. About Harry being so humble that he almost refused to teach them all.

"I used to have a friend who was particularly gifted with Defence Against the Dark Arts. And he had more courage than anyone else I've ever met. When our pathetic excuse for a teacher refused to teach us anything other than magical theory I began to wonder if maybe Harry couldn't teach us instead. He was so angry at me for even suggesting it because he was incredibly humble, but eventually Ron and I talked him into it. If we hadn't I know a few students who would have failed their exams."

"So James and Remus and I are all keen, and 'Mione obviously is because she suggested the whole thing. So it's down to you Evans. Are you in?" Sirius asked the red head seriously, but his eyes twinkled with a challenge.

Hermione watched as Lily glanced around at the hopeful faces of her friends. She looked slightly hesitant.

"Lily, if at any stage you don't want to do any of it, you can always say no. But it's a lot of fun and we can search for books with spells that aren't in our Standard book of spells book for each year." Hermione reasoned with her newest best friend softly.

Slowly, as Lily looked around at all of them she began to smile a little "Ok. I'm in. Let's do this."

All of the marauders cheered and James dragged Lily across the couch they shared until she was wrapped up in his arms and curled up on his lap.

After a moment Hermione realised that all four of her friends had turned to stare at her expectantly. Hermione grinned, suddenly realising why Harry had been so reluctant. It was a little unnerving to have even four people looking at her like that, let alone the thirty or so she had invited to DA.

"Should we start now?" Hermione asked them softly. Her gaze met Sirius's and she watched him wink at her cheekily. All day she had caught him staring at her like he always did, but since last night when she had told him the truth about herself he had been giving her this look of wonder.

"Lead the way." He murmured, watching Hermione get to her feet before copying her.

"Ok, well I suppose we ought to start with some of the basics, although I think that among this group the basics are probably covered already." Hermione said, smiling at the incredibly bright people surrounding her.

As they all leapt into action, it became a challenge among all of them because they were evenly matched with the simple spells, though Sirius was by far the best at Transfiguration. Lily was gifted at charms and Remus and James had a knack for Defence. Hermione conjured mounds of cushions when they moved on to Stunning spells and grinned wickedly when Sirius stepped up as her opponent.

"Padfoot, you're about to be beaten dismally. You realise that right? I watched Hermione hit some of the snakes with a stunner a few weeks ago. She's crazy good at them." Remus told his friend.

Hermione smiled sweetly at Sirius as he brushed his hair back from his face, his eyes fixed on her.

"I say we make this a little more interesting." Sirius said wickedly "I vote that we turn this into a real duel, the spells we're practicing are the ones we're all good at, but if we really want to use these skills to fight evil we need to do more than just trade one spell at a time."

Hermione felt herself smile just a little. She had wondered how long it would take for someone to suggest they duel properly rather than just trading simple spells. And even with the multitude of spells they had already practiced and all covered with ease, Hermione knew that duelling for real with the Marauders and Lily Evans would be far more trying than duelling with Harry and Ron had been. Not that she didn't think highly of Harry and Ron, but the Marauders had far more practice with duelling and applied themselves to the study of magic with increased verve than Harry and Ron had ever done.

"Shall we include some rules then, or would you prefer to just find out which one of us is the better dueller?" Hermione asked him softly.

"No rules." Sirius smirked.

Hermione smiled and narrowed her eyes on Sirius Black as James counted down from three. When he reached one their shouts filled the air as spells began to fly. Hermione grinned as she shot curses and hexes towards Sirius, blocking the ones he returned towards her. Colours filled the dimly lit library as they duelled and Hermione realised they were almost evenly matched. Realising that every time she shouted a spell, he knew how to block it Hermione fell silent, twirling her wand which leapt to do her bidding with ease and such power. Sirius narrowed his eyes at her when Hermione resorted to non-verbal magic. Smirking right back at him Hermione hit him with a spell she had seen Draco Malfoy use in second year, a live snake shooting from the end of her wand and landing with a thud in front of him.

Unlike Harry in second year, Sirius Black knew the counter curse to her spell and the snake exploded into nothing as he hit it with a spell of his own. However when Sirius fell silent as well Hermione knew that just maybe she was in trouble because the next spell he hit her with she wasn't quick enough to block and Hermione had no idea what sort of spell it was. What she did know was that where it struck against her stomach began to tingle, spreading warmth through her body and Hermione realised suddenly as the tingly feeling spread inwards and set the centre of her body pulsating, that she shouldn't be surprised at all to learn that Sirius Black knew a spell to induce pleasure in someone.

Trying to ignore the fact that his spell had literally just given her first ever orgasm, Hermione narrowed her eyes at him and hit him with a spell that transfigured him into an animal. In his dog form Sirius barked at her angrily before transforming back into himself even as Hermione closed her eyes and her insides pulsed again from the spell he'd hit her with.

With her eyes closed in pleasure, Hermione felt her wand shoot out of her grip as he disarmed her. His chuckle came from across the room and Hermione felt the magic within her body surge at the idea of having him beat her. Brown eyes flying open Hermione lifted her hand and smirked at him evilly, pointing her pinky finger at him she began to wiggle it slowly and she heard everyone in the room gasp in shock as she used wandless magic to stun Sirius. As he fell against the cushions Hermione chuckled and stalked towards him slowly, her pinky still raised threateningly.

Sirius sat up slowly as Hermione stood over him. She could feel Remus James and Lily all staring at her in shock but she smiled down at Sirius wickedly before offering him her hand to help him up.

"Wandless magic huh?" Sirius asked her, shaking his head in disbelief as he took her hand and let Hermione pull him to his feet.

Hermione chuckled in response "Thought you had me when you disarmed me didn't you?"

Sirius peered down at her, still holding onto her hand, before pulling her into a hug.

It did nothing to stop the tingles that were still shooting through her body from whatever spell he had hit her with. In fact touching him and breathing in the sweet scent of him Hermione felt the spell surge and Hermione bunched the material of his jumper in her hands at his back and bit down on her bottom lip to keep from moaning at the pleasure rolling through her and sending her pleasure centre into another spasm of clenching muscles and wetness. It didn't help. She knew Sirius heard the soft moan that escaped her lips and he probably felt the way her whole body shook against his, threatening to buckle her knees.

Sirius chuckled into her ear "Still think you want my A-game 'Mione?"


	16. Wings on My Shoes

**A/N: Hey my dear little cherubs. I apologize profusely for taking so long to update. Especially for all three of my stories. However, i have been working like crazy on my Manuscript in an attempt to finish my first novel and hopefully get it published before the end of this year. It's about werewolves. Which reminds me, i need title suggestions. Strong female lead with a whole bunch of complications, including becoming a werewolf and having a stalker and a deranged ex-girlfriend of the male lead out for her head. It will be a trilogy, so i need a great title, something catchy and fun that will translate the way Harry Potter or Twilight do. Suggestions are appreciated, preferably by PM. Anyway, sorry for taking so long and i hope you love the new chapter. I will try to have Wild Things and Take the Tumble updated by the end of this week as well. Please review. Much Love xx-Kitten.**

Chapter 16:

Hermione looked up when she heard footsteps in the dark. It was late in the evening and all of her friends had gone to bed, but she had been unable to sleep with all the excitement of the evening still flooding her mind.

Sirius had become an even bigger tease, somehow managing to tease her when no one else was looking or paying attention. He'd said nothing but sweet things all night after she'd clutched him against her as her body was wracked by the orgasms induced by his spell. But eventually everyone had gone to bed, none the wiser of what was transpiring between Hermione and Sirius.

Now Hermione sat in the library with Crookshanks purring on her lap, reading by firelight from the book she had found on a high shelf of the Potter's library. It was filled with spells that she'd never heard of, many of them seeming not evil, but slightly wicked. It was proving a most interesting read and she was learning many new spells that she could teach to her friends after she had perfected them.

Hermione felt proud of herself for having suggested that they all begin little duels with each other. That they slowly build up a vast reservoir of magical knowledge that would help her and them on her seemingly mammoth task of ensuring that the friends she had made in this time, would live longer than they had in her own.

The very thought of them meeting the same ends they had in the time she had grown up in made her heart squeeze painfully. They meant as much to her as Harry and Ron and Ginny now. In many ways they were the only family she had and while she had grown accustomed to being away from her real family when she turned eleven and left her parents for a magical boarding school residing in an unknown location, Hermione knew now that family was coming to mean more to her than it ever had. And the idea that sometime within the next couple of years, Voldemort would try to take them from her had Hermione gripping her wand tighter and narrowing her eyes at the darkness of the deserted library.

No one would take her family from her. Absolutely no one! She had lost her own family by being blasted back here, but the Marauders and Lily had quickly filled the void left in her heart. Maybe not completely, after all Hermione still longed to drag Harry into a tight hug when he raged and rushed headlong into danger, she still longed to get into an argument with Ron only to surprise him by hugging him too. She longed to chat with Ginny about anything and everything that wasn't Voldemort related.

But now she had James Potter and Lily Evans and Sirius Black and Remus Lupin and even Peter Pettigrew looking out for her, inviting her into their lives and accepting her as a new addition to their group. She had them caring about her, worrying about her happiness and well-being. The thought brought tears to her eyes and Hermione looked up through wet lashes at a soft sound off to her left.

"Did I startle you dear?" Dorea Potter asked softly. She wore a floor length powder blue nightgown and her greying hair was tucked beneath a matching blue night cap.

"Only a little bit. I though everyone was fast asleep by now." Hermione replied, aware that she was wrapped up in green flannel pyjamas with multicoloured kittens all over them and Sirius's Quidditch jersey.

Mrs Potter smiled gently as she dropped into a vacant armchair opposite Hermione.

"You will find my dear, that age does little to help one into the world of dreams. It has always baffled me that so many people think that as we grow older we seem to need more sleep. It's not really the case. Many times I find myself awake in the wee hours of the morning. But it has been my experience that teenagers need more sleep than the rest of us. Does something trouble you that you are still awake at such an hour on Christmas Eve?" Mrs Potter asks softly.

Hermione smiled at the elderly lady. She was far older than Hermione's own parents, older too than Ron's. But wisdom gleamed in her blue eyes, wisdom and something else.

"I seem to find myself awake in the wee hours of the morning more frequently of late." Hermione murmured "But tonight I have another purpose. The library at Hogwarts is not so well stocked with the books lurking within this room, at least not in a section I can access without a signed note from a teacher or an invisibility cloak."

Mrs Potter smiled at that.

"James and Sirius did tell me that you have a love of books and an almost unmatched thirst for knowledge. Have you found something of interest?"

Hermione held up the book and allowed Mrs Potter to read the front cover. When she did, Mrs Potter raised her eyebrows.

"Heavy reading for a sixteen year old this late on Christmas Eve, Hermione."

"It is a little, I suppose. But I must read it nonetheless."

Mrs Potter watched Hermione for several long moments in silence.

"My boys have told me a great many things about you Hermione Peverell. But there is far more to you than meets the eye. Far more than my sons know too, I would suspect. It's in your eyes my dear, there is more than interest burning in those brown depths."

"I'd guess that there is a fierceness to them tonight." Hermione murmured softly "Given what I was thinking when I noticed you'd joined me, I wouldn't be at all surprised to find them glowing with far more than an interest in my book."

"Would you care to speak on it my dear? I have found that often a new perspective can be gained, or even a deeper insight, when one discusses that which troubles them."

Hermione looked at Dorea Potter. Her black hair was shot through with grey beneath her nightcap, her face lined with laugh lines and wrinkled with age. Her body had begun to soften around the edges as age took hold of her, but she still seemed as strong as steel and Hermione found herself admiring the other woman. If she managed to live long enough to match Dorea Potter in age, Hermione hoped she still retained such a strong presence and keen mind. Because Dorea Potter held an air to her that Hermione had only seen in Professor McGonagall. A strength of will and such a personality that while time had begun to ravage her, she stood strong and tall as a sandstone cliff as it is battered by wave after wave of the turbulent sea.

"Beyond these walls a darkness brews viciously. For now it seems to simmer, but soon it will boil over, scorching all in its path until only a husk of what we are remains." Hermione said sinisterly "War is coming Mrs Potter and little more than a year stands between all of us and the front line. I haven't known your boys long, or Lily, but they are the only family I have left. I will do anything I can to keep them from the line of fire that will surely engulf all of us. Books like this will help me to do that, and I find myself simmering as well. Horror awaits all of us. For me, that has been a way of life and yet I still find myself woefully unprepared for the battles to come."

Mrs Potter's blue eyes widened slightly at Hermione's words.

"It seems an awfully heavy burden you attempt to shoulder Hermione."

Hermione nodded slowly "It is not my place to question the weight Mrs Potter, merely to hoist it high and carry it silently. I learned from the most amazing person I've ever known that sometimes all we can have in the face of evil is courage. Courage to solider on in spite of the losses we have faced, courage to see an end to evil, no matter the personal cost."

"You speak as though the threat is upon our doorstep Hermione, while it currently sits patiently, biding its time, gaining a following. I understand your sentiment my dear, often I awaken in a panic that my boys are not safe. But the threat you speak of now is winning a following through his seemingly charming nature, through stoking ideals in the mind of those who feel that the old ways where the lines between rich and poor, between master and slave were firmly drawn, were times that we should see again. It is foolishness in my opinion, and their blind faith will be the undoing of many. But for now it is nothing more."

"For now that might be the case. But soon He will go public with a far more insidious plot than just redrawing lines between the poor and the elite. Soon there will come a day when he will strike out against more than the poor. When mudbloods and muggles will become a target of hatred. He will argue that Purebloods are superior and many of the pureblood families will be drawn to his ideals as he promises them power and wealth and dominion over those 'less than'. When that day comes I want to be ready. When he draws into his sights witches and wizard like Lily and seeks to imprison and murder muggle-borns, I will be among those standing before him with my wand drawn and my mind set on spells that will destroy him before real damage can be done."

"You believe he will go as far as murder?" Mrs Potter asks softly.

"I believe he already has. His father was a muggle and when his intentions become clear, such a parent will be unacceptable."

"Hermione, you are still only sixteen. If war broke out tomorrow do you mean to tell me that you would line up with an Unforgivable on your lips ready to utter in defence of your friends? Or perhaps complete strangers?"

"If war broke out tomorrow, yes I would." Hermione confirmed "I understand that may seem barmy, that such a curse is in name and act unforgiveable. But I will do anything I must to keep those whom I love safe from harm."

"You would die for Remus? For Sirius or James? For Peter or Lily? You would willingly throw yourself in front of them to keep them from death or pain?" Mrs Potter asked doubtfully.

"Yes."

Hermione's simple reply stunned Dorea Potter. There was no bravado in her voice, nor fear in her eyes. There was merely an eerie sort of fire within the brown pools that spoke of passion and anger that such might ever come into being. As Dorea Potter watched Hermione Peverell, she found that the girl was far more mature than she appeared, far stronger than she looked, and far more serious than any sixteen year old girl should ever be.

"You truly love them don't you?"

"I do. They are the only family I have now."

"Hermione, you should know that my boys adore you. And when I say that, I mean James, Sirius and Remus. Naturally James is mine because he's my son. But Remus and Sirius are as much sons to me as James. Remus because his parents are unable to accept him and love him because of what he is, and Sirius because he is everything Orion and Walburga Black despise. He refuses to follow their pureblood mania, to stand with them while they spout such fouls things. After Christmas in first year James wrote to me and told me that Sirius Black had confided in him that while he had been at home over Christmas, Sirius had been forced into all kinds of ridiculousness that comes from having parents who are mostly insane and obsessed with image and their heritage. When he had refused to let them speak ill of him or his friends for being placed in Gryffindor at Hogwarts, they abused him. Not seriously, but no eleven year old should be forced to sleep locked in a cupboard, or have his mouth Scourgified for disagreeing with his parents. After that he has spent every holiday here with us, excluding a week or so over the summer where his parents insist he sees them."

Hermione smiled as she learned of another similarity between Harry and Sirius. Harry always hated to go back to the Dursleys.

"What about Peter?"

"Peter's family love him and they insist he spends more times with them when he is home on holidays. He has his own family, so I think of him more as a nephew or just the friend of my boys."

"I think sometimes he feels left out because James, Sirius and Remus are all so close, probably because they are bonded like they are brothers. I know they don't mean to, but sometimes they are not as… I don't know, affectionate, with him as they are with each other. I worry that he'll grow resentful of them. Especially since I came along and they let a girl into their little group."

"Of itself that should tell you something Hermione. My boys have always been incredibly close, even before Remus admitted to them about his furry problem. The fact that they were so accepting of you came as a surprise."

"It means a lot to me that they took me under their wings. I don't know how I would've gotten along without them as my friends." Hermione admitted softly.

"They do love you, my dear. When you and Lily went into London without saying goodbye to them they were in quite a flap. Sirius was ready to charge off to London after the two of you. Though I blame that on the Blacks. He's an incredibly suspicious boy when he sets his mind to it and he was all but convinced that the two of you had been kidnapped or something equally as terrifying."

"I don't know what was going on with me that day. Of all people I know better than to run off on something as silly and unnecessary as a shopping trip, but I just got so caught up in the moment with Lily that I let my enthusiasm run away with my head."

"Don't be so hard on yourself dear. As of yet the war that slowly encroaches is distant. A simple shopping day between girlfriends is harmless enough."

Hermione smiled at the woman's understanding.

"Sirius still as his wand in a knot about it, even after I apologised."

Dorea Potter began to chuckle. "Hermione my dear, you have a whole lot more of an effect on Sirius than him getting his wand in a knot over your safety. I think you'll find you've got his head all messed up too. It's not every day a girl walks into his life that he isn't happy to play with before sending her on her way. I'd go so far as to say you're having an effect on my poor boy's heart." Dorea Potter smiled gently even as happiness and mischief twinkled in her eyes.

"Oh I doubt it. I know Sirius far too well. He might be pausingly intrigued, but by the time we get back to school I'm sure he'll find another skirt to chase." Hermione said.

"You think so?" Mrs Potter murmured "Ordinarily I would agree with you Hermione. After all, I know Sirius very well and he's not one to easily set his heart on anyone. He's not like James in that he can catch sight of a girl and fall broom over wand in love with her. His heart is buried beneath suspicion and mistrust, despite my efforts. Yet when he looks at you his heart shines in his eyes as though he's worn it on his sleeve his whole life."

Hermione felt herself begin to blush at Mrs Potter's words. Dorea Potter watched a blush creep over Hermione's cheeks as she got to her feet.

"It is late my dear. And dawn comes awfully early when you share a house with James, Sirius and Remus on Christmas morning. For tonight, let your mind rest of the troubling darkness. There will be plenty of time over the next few days before you return to Hogwarts for you to scour the library for any book that interests you."

Nodding and covering her mouth as she yawned Hermione lifted Crookshanks to her shoulder, draping the disgruntled kitten around her shoulders like a scarf and tucking the book under her arm. In companionable silence Hermione and Mrs Potter exited the library, bidding each other goodnight when they reached the door. As Hermione lit her wand tip and wandered along the dark cold corridor away from the library Mrs Potter's voice stopped her.

"Hermione….. I don't know your feelings concerning Sirius or whether they go beyond the love born of friendship but there is something you should know…. Sirius Black's heart is more fragile than most anyone's. He is slow to trust and quick to believe that even the slightest suggestion that the trust he has placed in someone was foolish. He is charming and endearing and filled with life. His interest in you goes deeper than intrigue my dear. There is something special about you Hermione Peverell. Something special that has my Sirius's head confused and his heart aflutter."

Without another word Mrs Potter walked away down the corridor and around the corner, out of sight. For what felt like a very long time, Hermione stood in the corridor wondering at the words the elderly woman had imparted to her. Could it be that Mrs Potter knew of Hermione's developing feelings for Sirius, which were fast becoming feelings of love and longing to have him fall for her?

Or could it be that Dorea Potter had seen something in the eyes or heart of her adoptive son that had her believing that Sirius might truly have feelings for Hermione beyond friendship or fleeting desire?

HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB

Hermione was jolted awake when something heavy and warm jumped on top of her and began to tickle her.

"Wake up 'Mione! It's Christmas!" the voice of Sirius Black crowed excitedly. Hermione groaned at his cruelty of waking her when she had spent half the night lost in thoughts of him and the other half caught up in dreams of him.

"Who let you off your leash?" she grumbled, covering her face with her pillow so she didn't have to peer up into his incredibly handsome face when she probably looked half dead.

"I am beyond bindings as futile as a simple leash. Steel cable couldn't keep me from waking you on Christmas morning." He told her. Hermione could hear the smile in his voice and when he snatched the pillow off her face Hermione squeaked in shock. His face hovered directly above hers and his blue eyes twinkled with mischief.

"Are you always this alert in the mornings?" Hermione grumbled at him, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach and the fact that she was suddenly very aware of how Sirius pinned her beneath him. His face hovered so close above hers that his loose long hair tickled the skin of her neck and jaw and cheeks.

"I always have something to look forward to in the mornings." Sirius murmured to her softly, his eyes staring down into hers "So where is it?"

Surely she must still be dreaming. But as Hermione gazed up into his blue eyes she found herself asking "Where is what?"

"My smile. Every morning I look forward to you smiling at me. Where's my smile today?" Sirius replied impishly.

"I sold it to the sand man so that he'd let me sleep last night." Hermione told him, trying to keep a foolish smile off her face at his words.

If she hadn't spent the entire evening debating within her own mind as to whether or not Sirius had feelings for her that went deeper than friendship, Hermione wouldn't be in this situation. Because her mind had foolishly let her heart have centre stage, where it had pronounced that maybe Sirius did have a thing for her, deepening her own feelings for the black haired scoundrel. She had it bad and she knew it. What she couldn't have was Sirius finding out that she had it bad.

"Having trouble sleeping 'Mione?" Sirius murmured "Or just having difficulty with it when you're not using me as a pillow?"

Hermione suddenly noticed that Sirius was shirtless. His scars and his incredibly sexy torso were bare to her gaze while he sat on top of her, peering down at her.

"You're awful." Hermione muttered at him, not answering his question and losing the battle to keep from smiling at him.

"There is it!" Sirius beamed when he spotted her smile.

Hermione couldn't keep from laughing at seeing him so gleeful. At least she couldn't until he gave her a wicked little smirk and dipped his head towards her, before he brushed his soft lips against hers in a feather-light kiss. That was around the time her heart started to pound and the butterflies in her stomach all took to flight. Her eyes slid closed and the hand she'd had pillowed beneath her head while she slept crept over Sirius's ribs and around to rest lightly on her back.

He didn't deepen the kiss beyond the feathery brush of his lips on hers, didn't bury his hands in her hair, didn't press his weight down on top of her deliciously. He just brushed his lips over hers with light teasing pressure in a way that drove her completely insane and still managed to be unbearably sweet.

When he pulled away from her, Hermione opened her eyes to find him smiling down at her softly.

"Merry Christmas 'Mione."

Feeling a blush creep over her cheeks even as her hand on his back slid down to rest against his hip lightly, Hermione gave him a tiny impish smile.

"Merry Christmas." She whispered up at him. His face still hovered over hers and Hermione's hand itched to slide into his hair at his nape and pull him down so she could kiss him properly until she didn't even remember her own name.

"I suppose we should get up and start opening presents." Hermione murmured when Sirius just kept smiling down at her.

Hermione jumped with fright when her bedroom door flew open and banged against the wall. Standing in the doorway, his hand clutching dramatically at his heart and his hair all in a mess was James Potter.

"How could you?" he wailed as though he were in pain "How could you betray our love like this and not wake me first?"

Sirius grinned as James turned and fell dramatically into Remus's arms where they both pretended to sob as they held each other.

"How he could do this to us Moony? How could our beloved Padfoot choose 'Mione over us to waken first on Christmas morning? He loves her more than us!" James wailed dramatically.

"He doesn't love us anymore Prongs! His heart belongs to 'Mione now. If he loved us he wouldn't have woken her before us." Remus played along, even as he caught Hermione's eye and rolled his at James theatrics.

"You're an idiot Prongs." Sirius told James as he leapt off the bed and bounded toward his best friend "I could never replace you in my heart."

Hermione laughed as James threw himself into Sirius's arms, still pretending to sob hysterically, before catching hold of Sirius in a headlock and scrubbing his knuckles against the top of his best friends head.

"OI! Not the hair!" Sirius cried as he struggled in James arms, landing a well placed kidney jab that gained him his freedom. Remus joined the fray carrying all three boys to the floor as he tackled Sirius, who now had hold of James's head and was viciously returning the noogie. All three of them wrestled on the floor, James and Remus ganging up on Sirius.

"Help 'Mione!" Sirius shouted as his friends pinned him down Remus tickled him mercilessly while James began plaiting Sirius's hair.

Doubled over with laughter even as she moved towards them Hermione joined the three of them on the floor.

"Remus, pin him so he can't get us." She laughed as she went to work on braiding some of Sirius's hair.

"You traitor!" Sirius shouted when Hermione's hands delved into his silky hair and twisted the locks into an intricate braid, taking over from James who proceeded to sit on Sirius's legs and tickle his feet even as Remus pinned down his arms.

"How can you do this to me?" he wailed dramatically as Hermione's face hovered above his.

"Oh Sirius you make such a pretty girl. You should wear your hair like this all the time."

"I bet that if Hermione was willing to braid it for him every day, he'd do it." Remus said over his shoulder to James before fixing Hermione with a twinkling gaze.

"I'd bet that if Hermione asked him to wear it in a pony tail for the rest of time he'd do it." James added, also grinning.

"I'd bet that the two of you are going to get off me in five seconds." Sirius snarled, looking incredibly cranky now because resistance was proving futile when he had a werewolf sitting on his stomach.

Hermione started to laugh as Sirius disappeared and the form of a huge black dog took his place. The snarls coming from him had his friends scooting off him and running for the door as they laughed.

"You know, you're still going to have braids when you transform again." Hermione told him as James slammed the door behind himself, leaving Hermione and Sirius alone in her room again.

Before her eyes Sirius leapt to his hind legs before transforming back into his bare-chested human self and Hermione marvelled at the sight. He was truly incredible, even with his long black hair braided up in a fancy do on top of his head. His handsome face was brought into focus when it wasn't half concealed by his hair and the sharp lines of his jaw and cheekbones had Hermione biting her bottom lip. When she dared to let her gaze wander lower she fought to keep from smiling appreciatively at the contours of his scarred chest and arms and tight abs.

"Don't look at me like that." Hermione told him when she noticed his narrowed eyes and the irritation that glittered in them.

"All I did was give you a fancy new hair style. It was those traitors who went on about your feelings and got you mad." Hermione teased him. Smirking at him as he began to stalk towards her.

"I warned you about my hair." Sirius said.

"And I've seen it matted and dirty and you covered in filth while your eyes gleamed with madness. This is an improvement on that." Hermione told him, smiling gently.

"You're not going to ever tell me what happened to me that I ended up in that state, are you?"

"Not if I can avoid it. I intend to keep that from becoming your future." Hermione told him.

"What would drive me to such a thing? To leave it unwashed and disgusting and matted. What would ever garter true madness to gleam in my eyes." Sirius muttered, almost as though he spoke to himself.

He was still stalking towards her and when he stopped in front of her, Hermione looked up into his eyes sadly.

"You tell me Sirius. What would drive you mad? Truly mad? What would need to happen in your life that you wouldn't care anymore about your appearance? That you would appear as a murderer, as a psychopath."

Sudden understanding seemed to dawn in Sirius's blue eyes as he looked at her and Hermione flinched when his hands shot out to wrap around her and pull her into a bone-crushing hug. His scent enveloped her as Hermione laid her cheek against his bare chest and wrapped her arms around his lean waist, returning his hug.

"Don't tell me 'Mione. Just help me make sure it never happens." Sirius whispered so softly that Hermione almost didn't hear him.

"We should get downstairs. All the presents are under the tree in the living room. And if we don't hurry they'll have woken Lily and Mum and Dad and they'll start without us." Sirius told her, still hugging her before he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

Hermione smiled just a little bit as he kept his arm around her shoulders and steered her towards the door. Instead of turning down the stairs though, Sirius steered her straight across the hall and into his bedroom, where he let her go so he could find a jumper to wear.

"You look kind of adorable with your hair done like that." Hermione told him in a husky voice as he turned towards her clutching a shirt in his hands.

"You think so huh?" Sirius smirked. Hermione nodded, moving towards him and running her hand down his exposed cheek, feeling the hard line of his jaw beneath her fingers. "I'm not wearing it up just 'cause you like to look at my ruggedly handsome face 'Mione."

Hermione chuckled as she peered up at him from beneath her fringe.

"You look kind of nice with no shirt on too." She told him, smiling seductively and loving the way his blue eyes darkened with lust when Hermione trailed her hands over his shoulders and down his chest, lingering slightly on his nipples before trailing all the way down to the waistband of his pyjama pants where they rode low on his hips.

"What are you playing at 'Mione?" Sirius murmured to her softly "We both know that if you keep doing that we're never gonna get downstairs to open our presents."

Hermione just smiled at him and stepped closer, liking the way his skin exploded with gooseflesh as she ran her hands lightly back up his chest and up his neck before leaning in to trail a soft line of kisses along the left side of his throat. When Sirius gulped audibly and his hands crept around her hips Hermione pressed her advantage, nipping his skin gently and pressing a hotter line of kisses against his neck, standing close enough to him to press her body intimately against the length of his. Hermione chuckled when his head dropped back, exposing his throat completely to her hot kisses.

"I call it revenge." Hermione murmured as she pressed one last kiss against his collar bone and stepped out of his embrace, glancing over her shoulder at him as she sashayed out of the room. His eyes were dark with lust and his face a mask of desire and shock as Hermione disappeared through his doorway.

"Oh I'm going to get you for that Hermione." Sirius said loudly before Hermione reached the stairs. Hermione just laughed before finding the rest of the family in the living room.

"Where's Sirius?" Lily asked, looking behind Hermione for a sign of the last member they waited on.

"Oh he'll be along just as soon as he works out how to fix his hair." Hermione grinned as she dropped into a seat next to Remus.

"Merry Christmas everyone." She said, smiling when Remus threw his arm lazily around her shoulders and hugged her against his side on the couch they shared. James and Lily also shared a couch, as did Dorea and Charlus. Hermione had no doubt that when Sirius got her he would wiggle himself onto the couch with her and Remus.

"Merry Christmas dear," Mrs Potter said "Help yourself to some breakfast. If he's playing with his hair I have no doubt we'll be waiting a while to open all these presents."

Hermione smiled as Mr Potter waved his piece of toast to indicate that his mouth was full so he couldn't wish her a merry Christmas as well.

Just as she dug into some bacon and toast and eggs that a helpful house elf gave her a tray to eat off of, Sirius strode into the living room.

"Took you long enough" James smirked as they stared at their long haired friend. Sirius's hair was once again hanging about his face in a slightly unruly manner, and Hermione smirked when she spotted a thin almost unnoticeable plait hanging down behind his right ear.

"Yeah well, it's your fault that we all had to wait now isn't it." Sirius grinned at James before grabbing a mountain of food and wiggling his butt onto the couch next to Hermione and Remus and stealing an un-eaten crust of toast of Hermione's plate.

"Well this brings a new meaning to giving my scraps to the dogs now doesn't it?" Hermione murmured softly, earning her smirks from all over the room. Lily looked slightly confused but Hermione pretended that she didn't see the quizzical look Lily shot at her.

"Should we start opening some of these presents then?" Charlus asked jovially.

He didn't wait for a reply before he flicked his wand towards the mound of presents beneath the tree and all of them sprang into the air and began drifting towards their intended recipient.

Hermione smiled when a small pile gathered at her feet.

Slowly everyone began to open their presents, Hermione unwrapping each one carefully and slowly. She savoured the moment to know that in spite of being hoisted back in time she had managed to make enough friends here that she had someone to spend her Christmas with, rather than sitting all alone in her room at Hogwarts with only Crookshanks for company.

Reading the tag of the first present she picked up Hermione smiled. It had been poorly wrapped and Hermione couldn't help smiling when she realised it was from Peter. Opening it slowly she found an old looking Photo frame. It was silver, slightly tarnished with age and had been engraved with silver vines around the edges. Inside it was a picture she hadn't realised anyone had taken of Hermione an all four of the marauders laughing together in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room.

"Wow." Hermione murmured softly as she smiled at the gift Peter had given her. It was an incredibly thoughtful gift because she had so little in the way of decoration for her room, and so little of any forms of memorabilia from her old life, or this new one.

Sitting it on her lap Hermione reached for another gift from the pile at her feet and grinned when she read that it was from Dorea and Charlus. They smiled when Charlus caught her eye and winked. Carefully uncurling the wrappings Hermione gasped in shock and happiness at the gift inside.

Folded neatly was a woollen knitted jumper. It was plum purple with a white owl knitted onto the front. There was also a thick, crocheted scarf in pale purple with matching mittens.

"Oh my." Hermione said as she slipped her hands into the warm mittens "Oh thank you so much." she said, smiling gratefully at Dorea and Charlus. Even as she smiled Hermione blinked rapidly to stem the tears that had sprung to her eyes at such a familiar type of gift.

"You're welcome Hermione." Dorea smiled brightly.

Next to her on the couch Remus had just unwrapped his present from her and Hermione was saved from having anyone see the tear that escaped the corner of her eye as Remus tugged her into a hug in thanks.

"Thanks Hermione." He said, happiness bubbling in his voice.

"Do you like it? You haven't already got a copy have you?" she asked.

"I've never even heard of t before but it looks interesting."

Hermione smiled as Remus let her go before she opened her next present, this one from James. He'd given her a pair of black platform heels. Hermione laughed.

"Thanks James." She said, waving the shoes to draw his attention away from staring at Lily.

"I hope they fit you. I made Sirius find out what size you wear." James said, grinning at her "Thanks for these by the way." James said, holding up the pranking supplies Hermione had given him.

Hermione smiled back at him before picking up another gift, this one from Remus. Inside was a set of nature themed decorations for her room at Hogwarts, complete with a massive wall sticker in the shape of a tree with bids in the boughs, as well as a flower shaped rug and several tree and flower and star shaped wooden ornaments.

"Wow Remus." Hermione said, dragging the werewolf into a cuddle.

"Do you like them?" Remus asked her nervously, "I figured that since you have your own suite at school you might like something to decorate it with. Sirius told me it was a little sparse since you lost most of you things…"

"I love them. Thank you." Hermione said, smiling as she released him.

From Professor Dumbledore, Hermione received a heavy book on Animagi and a silver charm bracelet with a wizard charm and an owl charm and a book charm hanging off it.

Lily watched Hermione closely as Hermione opened the gift Lily had picked for her and Hermione smiled when she saw the pretty silver tear-drop earrings Lily had given her.

"Thank you so much." Hermione said, smiling and setting all her other gifts aside to spring across the room and hug the red head.

"Thank you for my present too." Lily said, hugging Hermione back tightly "And thank you for convincing me to spend Christmas here, rather than at Hogwarts by myself."

"What can I say Lily?" Hermione grinned wickedly "I had a feeling things might all work out for the best to have you here with us."

Glancing back at the pile of presents at her feet Hermione found that there was only one gift to go. Sirius's gift to her. Her stomach launched into an extensive routing of butterfly gymnastics at the idea of opening a gift from him, nervousness and curiosity warring within her. Out the corner of her eye Hermione noticed Sirius glancing at her. He too had only one present to go ad she smiled when she realised it was her gift to him.

"You go first." Sirius murmured in her ear.

"Why don't you go first?"

"Because I want to see your reaction when you open what I got you."

"But I want to see your reaction too." Hermione murmured back to him, aware of the fact that Remus could hear every word they were muttering an d had begun to chuckle softly.

Sighing in defeat when she noticed the stubborn glint in Sirius's blue eyes, Hermione pulled her gift from him up onto her lap and gently unwrapped the little parcel.

"Oh Merlin…" Hermione breathed as the paper fell apart to reveal the gift within. "Sirius… this would've cost you a fortune."

Sirius Black had given her an antique silver jewellery box. It was round, with intricate floral engravings and a pair of angels cuddling as the handle to lift the lid.

"You need to open it 'Mione." Sirius murmured when Hermione continued to stare down at the box in awe. It was a beautiful gift even without opening it and Hermione had never owned something as fancy or as precious.

Very slowly Hermione lifted the lid of the jewellery box and promptly dropped it shut again in utter shock. The inside of the box was lined with bright red silk, and resting nestled comfortably between the jewellery cushions was a set of silver jewellery.

"You need to open it properly so you can see the rest of your gift Hermione." Sirius said softly.

Glancing at him and trying to not to blush from the small glimpse of what she had seen inside the box, Hermione once again lifted the lid, opening it all the way this time so it couldn't fall shut again.

The set of silver jewellery inside the beautiful jewellery box was breathtaking. The entire set was themed and Hermione couldn't keep the blush from her cheeks when she realised what that theme was. Every piece of jewellery inside the box, from the long chained pendant to the tiny silver ring was shaped with the image of a love heart shot with an arrow.

Each piece was not fancy. Not in the way that would demand that it only be worn on special occasions. Instead it was simple, silver carvings that were beautiful. The entire set was the type of jewellery one could wear on a day to day basis. Never taking it off if one was of a mind.

Hermione felt herself blush even more when Sirius index finger brushed across her cheek, catching the tear that she hadn't noticed had been rolling down her cheek in complete awe and gratitude.

"Don't cry 'Mione." Sirius murmured, frowning. Hermione glanced at him when she realised that he thought he had picked the wrong present, that she was crying because she didn't like it.

Without a second thought for the rest of the gifts both of them might damage, Hermione threw her arms around the long haired boy and dragged herself into his lap.

"Thank you so much Sirius." Hermione said happily when his arms snaked around her waist and cuddled her closer to him.

"Do you like it?" Sirius asked her, still frowning uncertainly.

"I love it. You are the best person in the whole entire world and while I may regret saying this tomorrow, I think that you've given me the best present I've ever been given in my whole life and you are in fact a genius"

The chuckle that escaped Sirius when Hermione burrowed her face into his hair and pressed a warm kiss to his cheek drew the eyes of everyone else in the room.

From there random places around him, Sirius met the eyes of his family members one by one while he held Hermione cuddled up on his lap. James and Remus and Dorea and Charlus all gave him knowing looks and Sirius wondered for just a moment if maybe what Dorea had said to him could be right. When he had admitted to James and Remus last month that he thought he might be falling for Hermione, he'd been reluctant to do so and worried that they would tell him it was foolish of him. But when he had written to Dorea Potter and told her how he felt, she had told him that if he felt in his heart that Hermione was wiggling her way into his very soul, he ought to do not a thing to stop it.

So he hadn't.

For the first time in his life, Sirius had thrown caution to the wind and accepted that he might very well be falling in love with the brilliant brown eyed girl currently kissing his cheek.

Hermione pressed another soft kiss to Sirius's cheek before releasing his neck and reaching for the jewellery box on her lap. Almost reverently Hermione lifted out the delicate silver ring with the heart and arrow and slipped it onto her right ring finger, followed by the long chained pendant bearing a much larger version of the same heart and arrow symbol and slipping it over her head. It rested comfortably against her breastbone.

"You should open your preset from me." Hermione told Sirius, tugging on the tiny plait he had either missed or purposely left behind his ear.

"Give it here then." Sirius smirked at Hermione, his arms tightening around her when she tried to move off his lap.

"You're going to have to let me go. The present is too big to open with me sitting on you." Hermione told him, grinning at the way her heart gave a little squeeze because he didn't want to let her go.

Merlin she had it bad.

"Oh, I thought you were my present. I was going to unwrap you." Sirius grinned cheekily and pretended to lift the hem of the Quidditch jersey Hermione still wore. Sirius's Quidditch jersey.

Hermione laughed huskily "You wish Padfoot."

Sirius grinned for a moment before sighing wistfully "Yeah… I really do."

Laughing, Hermione climbed back off the boy she had a serious crush on and plopped the present she had bought for him into his lap.

"You weren't kidding were you?" Sirius said as he realised how big the gift was. After all, wrapping a big bulky leather motor bike jacket had not been easy.

"Nope. But I should warn you, it's nothing as fancy as what you got me."

Curiosity sparked in Sirius's eyes and Hermione giggled when he tore into the wrapping paper as though it owed him money. Hermione couldn't help but smile as she watched Sirius pause in his frantic ripping and tearing when he uncovered the worn looking leather within the parcel.

"You didn't…" Sirius murmured, not taking his eyes off the leather motorbike jacket.

Hermione smiled wider as Sirius tentatively reached for the jacket, as though he was almost afraid to pick it up lest it vanish before his eyes.

"How did you know?" Sirius murmured, lifting his eyes to meet hers, even while his fingers toyed with the zipper. "I've never told you about my bike… how did you?..."

Hermione grinned as Sirius lifted the jacket and held it up in front of him, chuckling when his finger brushed over the dog paw patch on the front of the jacket.

"Another one of those things about us you just happened to have worked out huh Hermione?" Remus asked softly, his eyes burning with curiosity.

Sirius glanced at Hermione as she began to look slightly panicked.

"Did I tell you about my bike 'Mione? I might've at some stage and just not realised it." Sirius said quickly.

"You told me…" Hermione murmured "Actually you went on about it at length. I think you might love that bike even more than you love your hair and I really didn't think that was possible."

Everyone in the room began to laugh and when Hermione snuck a glance at Remus, he no longer looked curious or suspicious.

When Hermione glanced back at Sirius her heart practically stopped. He had donned the jacket and Hermione had never seen him look handsomer. And he was wearing track pants for crying out loud! Track pants, a t-shirt and the leather jacket she had bought him.

When he glanced up at her his eyes were very serious as they stared into hers and he wore just the tiniest hint of a smile. When he spoke Hermione felt those butterflies in her stomach take to flight and rampage for their freedom.

"I'm thinking right now that there's something I love more than both."


	17. Don't Want This Night To End

**A/N: Cherubs! Many thanks for all your lovely reviews =) You have no idea how much they brighten my day! Anyway, I have a brand new chapter here for you. YAY! Pretty please review and tell me what you think of everything that goes on in this crazy chapter. I will try to update again really really soon. Much love xxxx-Kittensift17**

**Them Boys**

Chapter 17: Don't Want this Night to End.

"What do you lot think you're doing?" Dorea Potter's voice demanded as she discovered, Hermione, Lily, Sirius, James, Remus and Peter duelling in the library.

"Um…" James began.

"Never mind explanations! I need you all dressed and ready. People will be arriving in a less than an hour!"

Hermione raised her eyebrows in shock. The day had slipped away from them. All day they had been setting out decorations and helping with preparation for the New Year's Ball tonight, and they'd finally found some free time to work on their duelling. When they'd started they'd still had three hours before they needed to get ready.

"Oh Merlin!" Lily moaned in horror "Hermione our hair is going to take that long! Come on!" She cried as she took hold of Hermione's hand and began dragging her towards their rooms.

"It's a good thing we don't need to shower first." Hermione said as they ran.

"I don't want James to see me before I'm totally ready. Can I get dressed in your room?"

"Yes, get your dress and make up and things and I'll meet you there." Hermione told her, rushing past Lily's room to her own.

She still hadn't decided which dress she wanted to wear. On the one hand the one Dumbledore had given her was elegant and pretty, but on the other she really wanted to wear the blue one she had bought in Hogsmede.

"Which one are you going to wear?" Lily asked as she rushed in and slammed the bedroom door behind her.

"I don't know. Which one do you think I should wear?" Hermione asked even as she sat at the stool in front of her dressing table mirror and dusted concealer over her face.

"They're both amazing, but I really think you should wear the blue." Lily said, dragging another chair over in front of the mirror so they could share it.

"Ok." Hermione said, moving on to her eye make-up now that she had decided on the colour of her dress.

"Oh I can't wait to see James's face when we come out dressed up all pretty and girly. I'm still kind of reeling from them saying we weren't girly the other day." Lily said as she applied her own make up before starting on her long red hair.

"I wasn't really surprised. After all, until our girl's day, we both had a habit of aiming for comfort rather than being pretty." Hermione said, finishing her make-up and setting to work on her hair, taking to it with her wand.

"I'm so nervous about tonight." Lily admitted, holding out her wand hand to show Hermione how much it was shaking.

"Me too. I mean, I've been to a ball once before, but I don't think this will be the same. They're going to be so many people we won't know at this one and we'll have to meet them all. And the ballroom. Merlin, those stairs just look like a death trap."

"At least you have a little bit of experience though, I've never been to anything fancier than a wedding." Lily said.

"It won't be so bad. And besides, even if you were to fall down the stair and end up breaking your nose, you know James would be the most doting boyfriend in the world."

"How are things going with you and Sirius anyway?" Lily asked Hermione with a grin.

"I think I'm in over my head at trying to turn all the tricks he's been using on girls for years, back on him. I just start to think I'm getting somewhere when I do something fun and flirty like today wearing this silly skirt, and he just smiles like he approves but doesn't seem any closer to falling for me."

"Hermione on Christmas morning he looked at you as he said that he could think of something he loved more than his hair and his motorbike. I think his heart is already wrapped around your little finger and you just aren't picking up on it because you're reading too much into everything he says and does." Lily said.

"It's all just lines. He's probably said that sort of thing to every girl he's ever dragged into a broom cupboard or seduced into an empty classroom." Hermione countered.

When they were finally finished with their hair and make-up, Hermione and Lily both donned their dresses.

"Oh Hermione you look amazing" Lily breathed as she stared at Hermione in her fancy new dress.

"You look amazing too Lily" Hermione said, looking at her red headed friend in the golden dress she wore. It was full length and slim fitting, cinched at the waist with a scoop neckline.

"Thanks." Lily smiled. "Com one, we better get down there"

HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB

Sirius Black caught his breath as he stood in the ballroom with James, Remus, and Peter. They had already broken into Charlus's liquor cabinet and spiked tonight's punch, and were trying to avoid being drawn into conversation with the numerous guests had already arrived but were all over by the food tables with Mum and Dad.

The band played soft classical in the background and he and the other marauders had been planning what prank they would play on the number of Slytherins obligated to attend tonight's ball. But now something caught his attention. And that something was just catching his attention. The music of the band flowed from a classical song into the enchanting sound you would expect to hear upon seeing a fairy tale princess. Sirius felt as though he really had just spotted two of them too.

At the top of the jasmine-vine-covered-hand-railed staircase that led down to the ballroom, illuminated by the soft glow of thousands and thousands of tealight candles stood Hermione and Lily. Sirius couldn't take his eyes off Hermione. She wore a blue ball gown but it was like no gown Sirius had ever seen before. The silk hugged her curves to her hips before it flared out into a full skirt. Her hair was pulled into an elegant bun on top of her head. Nestled against it was a small sparkling tiara that matched the glittering jewels crusted around her cleavage and some loose wisps of hair fell about her face to soften the look.

"Prongs…." Sirius breathed, knowing his best friend and blood brother was standing right next to him staring up at the two girls on the steps in utter awe "I think I'm in trouble mate. I'm in love."

"So am I buddy." James breathed back.

"They look beautiful." Remus said from the other side of James.

"They were already beautiful. Now they look like girls." Peter argued softly.

"I think I like it when they look like beautiful girls" James murmured.

Sirius blinked rapidly when the bright flash of a camera temporarily blinded him. Dorea Potter stood grinning at the four of them while they stood with their mouths open in awe of Lily Evans and Hermione Peverell. Then Dorea spun and snapped a picture of the girls as they began to descend the stairs.

Sirius still hadn't managed to take his eyes off Hermione by the time she and Lily reached the boys.

Hermione felt herself smirk at the way Sirius's blue eyes followed her, desire glittering within them as he stared at her.

"You look amazing" Sirius breathed when Hermione stopped in front of him. Remus handed Hermione and Lily a drink each, smiling at both of them.

Remus looked very handsome in his black and white dress robes. His sandy hair was styled neatly but still fell in his golden brown eyes.

"You look lovely Hermione." He told her as he handed her a drink of pale blue punch.

Hermione smiled at him over the rim of it as she took a sip. She raised her eyebrows in surprised at the slight burn to it that told her the boys had successfully managed to spike the punch.

"Maybe you lot didn't notice because you all have bad habits concerning alcohol, but you're ratio of punch to alcohol is off. Mrs Potter will taste it straight away. You need to add a little more punch to it." Hermione told them, grinning when Sirius just kept staring at her hungrily.

"I'll get some more" Remus volunteered "Come on Pete, we need more punch or this lot will all be passed out before midnight." Remus said, grabbing Peter and dragging him away, leaving Hermione, Sirius, James and Lily alone together.

"Lily you look… breathtaking" James told her, taking her hand and kissing the back of it as he smiled at her.

"Thank you. You look pretty handsome yourself Potter." Lily blushed even as she smiled happily at her boyfriend.

Hermione watched Sirius. He looked incredible in his dress robes and Hermione blushed a little when she realised that the tie he wore matched the colour of her blue dress. His long hair hung about his shoulders but it was shiny and clean and gleaming. He looked to have styled it slightly for the occasion, and his blue eyes twinkled as Hermione peered up at him from beneath her thick fringe.

"You scrub up alright, I see." Hermione told him.

"You are the most incredible woman I've ever met" Sirius told her, making Hermione blush even more.

"You're just saying that." Hermione murmured, looing away, suddenly feeling shy about the low dipping cut of her dress where it revealed the creamy skin of her modest cleavage.

"No he's not. He stopped breathing when he saw you." James told her.

"Oh girls you both look just wonderful. Every bit the type of beautiful young women my mother told me I needed to be. These two weren't the only ones you stopped in their tracks when you made your entrance." Dorea Potter beamed happily. She looked elegant and beautiful tonight and Hermione suddenly realised that even though she and Lily had gotten all dressed up, they could really learn a lot from Mrs Potter about being poised and elegant and regal and utterly beautiful.

"Thank you Mrs Potter." Hermione smiled.

"Oh darling don't thank me, you two did all the work. Now, would you both like to come with me? There are several people who would like to meet you as you're both new to our annual ball."

HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB

Hermione didn't remember all the names of all the people she had met tonight, nor how many men she had danced with. She and Lily had been whisked up into the elegant world of magical society, surrounded by highly respected witches and wizards. She had met the current Minister for Magic, whom Hermione had been asked to dance with and had discussed his opinion of house elves with. She had met many other esteemed witches and wizards who worked for the ministry of magic as well as several pureblood families. Many of whom Hermione had also been obligated to dance with. Luckily she had managed to avoid dancing with Lucius Malfoy, but only because his father had asked her to dance instead.

She'd finally managed to escape them all and found herself a goblet which she had quickly filled with punch and downed when no one was looking before refilling it and carrying it over to a deserted seat. Hermione smiled as she still tasted the faint hint of alcohol in her drink, thinking that after an evening like this it was nice to take the edge off her stress. Because meeting so many important people and being so polite and ensuring she didn't say or do anything embarrassing was proving far more stressful that it should have been. Especially trading pleasantries with narrow minded, awful people like the Malfoy's.

Hermione closed her eyes for a moment, savouring the flavour of her punch and she tried not to groan or give away her weariness when she heard someone clear their throat from in front of her. Slowly she opened her eyes, pasting a polite smile onto her face, until she saw who was standing in front of her. Then Hermione's face broke into a real smile.

"Hello my dear" Albus Dumbledore said softly, his eyes twinkling knowingly "You look absolutely stunning."

"Oh it's so good to see you." Hermione said happily, getting to her feet and not even thinking about it as she pulled her Professor into a hug.

Dumbledore chuckled "I understand you've had a very busy evening?" he said as he hugged her back.

"You could say that. I've done a lot of hand shaking and dancing with strangers anyway." Hermione laughed "How was your Christmas? Thank you so much for the gifts you got me. I feel like I should've found something extra for you."

"Oh my dear, I don't know how you knew, but there is no greater gift I ever hope to receive than socks. I'm also very fond of the hat you bought me. But it is the socks I liked most." He said, eyes twinkling behind his half moon spectacles.

"Oh, I once heard you dismaying over another Christmas passing without being given a single pair of socks. I simply couldn't let that happen this year." Hermione laughed remembering how she had thought it funny when Harry had told her about it.

"One can never have too many socks my dear. In fact I almost bought you a pair, but then I thought that I might get to know more about you first, so that I can buy you a really smashing pair." Dumbledore said cheerily "Would you care to dance with an old man my dear?"

"I would be honoured." Hermione replied, taking Dumbledore's hand and letting him lead her onto the dance floor.

"I trust you've been enjoying your Christmas break here at the Potter's then my dear?"

"Oh it's been wonderful. Whenever we have a spare moment we've all been working on our magic. And the library, have you ever been in the library here? It's splendid. I've found so many books full of information, it's been difficult to sleep because I'm just incapable of putting each book down."

"You truly are a girl after my own heart my dear. One day I must let you browse my personal library." Dumbledore smiled.

"I've been studying up on the magic surrounding Animagi too." Hermione told him happily.

"Is it going well? I hope you haven't tried to transform yourself without supervision."

"No, no I've just been reading that wonderful book you gave me for Christmas. But I think that I'd like to try transforming with you when school goes back. Do you think you could fit me in somewhere? I'm not ready to try it on my own, in case I get stuck halfway between forms or something."

"I think that's a splendid idea. We'll set up an evening and have supper and work on it together."

Hermione beamed at the man who had once been just her headmaster but now felt more like the Grandfather she'd lost.

"Thank you for the dance my dear. You are truly a divine dancer." Dumbledore said as he led her off the dance floor towards her friends. He pressed a kiss to the back of her hand.

"Thank you. You did most of the work though. Following is easy, it's the leading that is difficult." Hermione smiled happily.

"If I don't see you before midnight, I wish you a very happy new year my dear."

Hermione smiled as she watched him leave and strike up conversation with Mrs Potter before drawing her into a dance.

"How is it" a voice hissed into her ear "That such a little bitch can look so delectable?"

Hermione spun around to find a particularly debonair looking Lucius Malfoy leering at her. She could see that same wicked sneer curling his lip that she had known so well from Draco Malfoy, but as he smirked evilly at her, Hermione could also see heat in his gaze as his eyes fell on her cleavage. Hermione shuddered with revulsion.

"What do you want Malfoy?" Hermione hissed at the seventh year.

"Dance with me" he commanded, even as he stepped into her, grabbing her hand and sliding his other hand around to rest his hand on her lower back. Hermione gritted her teeth as he tugged her against him and began waltzing her back onto the dance floor in time to the fast paced melody the band currently played.

"What are you doing Malfoy?" Hermione demanded, taking hold of his shoulder to keep from stumbling as he whirled them around with practised ease.

"It's called dancing. Maybe you've heard of it?" He said his eyes still on her cleavage which had bulged higher because of how close he clutched her against him. Hermione felt like punching him for leering so obviously. And like she needed to take a very long hot shower.

"Why are you dancing with me? We both know you've been trying to do me in since Hogsmede."

"Maybe so, but seeing you in that dress makes me think that instead of doing you in, I might just do you." He smirked evilly.

"I dare you to try Malfoy." Hermione hissed, narrowing her eyes at him for the threat that lingered in his gaze.

"Not in front of all these people Peverell. Got to get you somewhere private for that. You're in polite society now." He sneered.

"What is wrong with you? Are you drunk?" Hermione demanded as she realised that this was definitely not normal behaviour for someone like Lucius Malfoy. He might be a coward and want her dead, but his parents had drilled into him his entire life that while everyone around him might be inferior, they're opinion still mattered.

"You had me fooled at school, where you run around looking like a nerd with your hair tied up and your oversized jumpers." Malfoy murmured, still whirling them in spite of the nasty gleam in his eyes as his eyes feasted on her cleavage.

"Let go of me Malfoy." Hermione snarled at him, growing tired of being polite.

"Not until I'm done with you" he sneered creepily and Hermione could see it in his face that he didn't just mean dancing with her.

"You're done with me now. I recommend that you let go of me this instant or we'll find out how Mr Malfoy like it when his son makes a spectacle of himself in front of so many people. Especially since you're drunk and he happens to think I'm a sweet and charming young lady."

"What are you going to do about it Peverell?" Malfoy leered.

"Let me go or you'll find out."

Lucius Malfoy glared at her, finally taking his eyes off her boobs to glare his hatred into her eyes.

Hermione raised her eyebrows when she saw someone tap on Lucius Malfoy's shoulder.

"If you don't mind, I'll be cutting in now Son." A cheery voice said. Hermione looked over at the incredibly handsome man cutting in on the dance and even though she had no idea who he was she couldn't help feeling grateful to him.

"You're lucky we're somewhere public Peverell. Watch yourself in deserted corridors." He hissed down at her threateningly before he walked away from her, almost stumbling. Hermione turned to the man who had saved her.

"Do you mind if I cut in young lady?" he asked her.

He looked to be in his fifties though his hair was still a full, rich shade of black. He had a strong jaw though it was hidden by a neatly trimmed black beard.

"Not at all. In fact I'm glad you cut in. I think he's had a little too much of the punch."

"Yes from what I heard it seems he has less than honourable intention towards you." The man smiled at her and Hermione found herself staring into his sparling blue eyes. There was something incredibly familiar about those eyes.

"Shall we?" he asked, offering her his hand.

Hermione smiled and took it, placing the other one on his shoulder while his found her waist.

"And what might your name be? I've never seen you before."

"Oh, my apologies. My name is Hermione Peverell."

"Peverell hmm? I thought that the Peverell name died out."

"It did in the male line. I'm from a particularly long line of promiscuous witches who had a habit of giving birth to only daughters, out of wed-lock." Hermione said, reciting the story she had perfected for this evening because so many people had asked her about it.

"Now that you mention there was a Peverell witch hundreds of years ago who never married. I didn't know she had a daughter. But then if the child was conceived and born out of wedlock it wouldn't be recorded." The man mused as he danced with her.

"I beg your pardon, sir, but I'm afraid I've no idea what your name is either," Hermione said, blushing slightly.

"Oh excuse me. I'm Orion Black." He said with a wicked little smirk that Hermione would recognise anywhere.

"You're Sirius's father." Hermione gasped.

"In a manner of speaking. He doesn't visit us much." Orion told her "Do you know Sirius well then?"

"Yes. We're friends from school." Hermione smiled.

"A Gryffindor then I take it." He said, sneering only slightly "But then, given that he's in that house I'm not really surprised."

Hermione stayed silent. Not really knowing what to say confronted with Sirius's father.

"Would you care to meet my wife Hermione Peverell? She would be most interested to learn that the Peverell name still exists."

"Erm… ok." Hermione said, not wanting to be rude but not really liking the idea of meeting Walburga Black. Their last meeting had been less than pleasant.

"Right this way then child." Orion said charmingly, fixing her a handsome smile as he tucked her hand through the crook of his arm and led her off the dance floor.

Hermione glanced around hoping she would catch sight of Sirius somewhere who might be able to save her from meeting his awful mother.

"Walburga my lovely wife, you simply must meet your sons latest conquest." Orion announced as he approached a woman with long black hair wearing a black dress that look like something from the Victorian era.

Hermione gasped when Walburga Black turned around and eyed her coldly. She was tall and though she had begun to wrinkle with age. She wasn't yet the haggard awful old woman from the portrait Hermione knew.

"That traitor is no son of mine." She said coldly, pursing her lips as she looked Hermione up and down in disgust.

Hermione held her breath until someone skidded to a stop next to her. Sirius had come to her rescue after all.

"Walburga, this young lady is Hermione Peverell." Orion told his wife when it became clear that she wasn't going to say anything else.

"Peverell? No that name died out long ago." Walburga's eyes sparkled with sudden curiosity.

"Well obviously it didn't, since here I stand carrying it around." Hermione said, feeling less than pleased with the way Sirius's mother looked at her as though she was something nasty the woman had stepped in.

"Do explain then how you come to carry it when every pureblood genealogy text in existence claims that the Peverell name died out hundreds of years ago."

"If you had read your text carefully you would know that there was a woman born with the Peverell name who never married. She is my ancestor, as she gave birth to a daughter out of wedlock. Since then the name has been passed down through a very long line of women who gave birth to only daughters. None of them ever married." Hermione told the woman. Her dislike growing by the second as Walburga turned her cold, judgemental eyes on her son.

"You. How dare you approach me in a public place? You have no right to breathe my air." She snapped at Sirius. Hermione saw red.

"Ah but I do mother. Thanks to you." Sirius told her snarkily.

"I gave you life boy. Don't think for a second that I won't take it away." She said, looking suddenly furious. "Now why have you bought this daughter of whores to meet me? I have no desire to know about the latest whore you have conned into bed with you." Walburga sneered as she looked Hermione up and down again "Hermione… sounds more like Whore Moaning."

"Apologise right now you worthless old hag!" Sirius roared angrily.

"Actually Walburga, it was your husband who thought you might be interested in meeting a whore's daughter. From what I understand he has a particular fondness for whore's." Hermione said sweetly, feeling bad for dragging Orion into this since he had seemed charming when they danced.

He didn't look offended or even angry. He looks completely bored with his wife's dramatics.

Hermione flinched a little as Walburga Black whipped her arm back clearly intending to slap hermion for her words but Hermione caught the old hag's hand.

"You would do well to remember that you are nothing but a worthless old hag who will one die ugly and alone with no one but Kreacher to mourn your passing." Hermione told her angrily. She flung the old woman's hand away from herself and glanced at Sirius.

"Come on Sirius, I've changed my mind. I don't want this pathetic excuse for a human being, let alone a witch, having any part in our child's life." Hermione said mischievously, rubbing her hand over her stomach with a doting expression on her face.

"If you had form of manners or human decency, I was ready to let you have a part in your grandchild's life, but now I see that Sirius was right. You will only taint our child with your filth." Hermione hissed into the old woman's angry, shocked face. Verbally bitch slapping her though she was dying to actually slap the old hag for what she had said to Sirius.

Taking Sirius's hand Hermione dragged him away from his outraged parents and out onto the dance floor.

"Did that really just happen or am I dreaming that you just told my mother she's a worthless old hag and a substandard human being before telling her she had no right to visit a nonexistent grandchild?" Sirius asked incredulously as Hermione took his hands and put them on her waist before resting hers on his shoulders.

"You're not dreaming Sirius. I can't believe she told you that you had no right to breath the same air as her."

"It's not all that uncommon. She's all but disowned me." Sirius said.

"Did you really just tell my mother that my father likes whores and that she was a pathetic excuse for a witch?"

"I did. And I told them I was pregnant with your child and they couldn't see the baby." Hermione said, frowning worriedly.

"Oh sweet Merlin woman, marry me?" Sirius said and he began to laugh.

"But Sirius, if I marry you our daughter won't be able to pass on the illustrious Peverell name and I won't follow in the footsteps of my wayward, promiscuous ancestors." Hermione pretended to fret at him as she laughed right along with him.

"That forked tongue will get you into trouble one day 'Mione" Sirius told her even as he laughed "And I think half more than half the guests heard you tell my mother that she wasn't allowed to be in our child's life. It's going to get around the entre wizarding community, including Hogwarts that you're pregnant you know that right?"

"Yeah I know. But I'm not so what does it matter? Let them speculate for the next few months." Hermione said breezily.

"You don't care that people will pick on you for being knocked up?"

"Sirius I'm not knocked up. I've never even had sex. They can say what they want. It's your reputation you should be worried about. Girls from all over Britain will go begging and sobbing thinking you've hung up your boots and that you've knocked me up."

Sirius shrugged. "Let them. I have hung up my boots." He told her softly.

"What did Malfoy want? Lily and Remus told me that he grabbed you and was being rough." Sirius asked her when Hermione just gazed at him.

"Oh, he seems to have decided that rather than trying to kill me for that duel in Hogsmede, it will be more fun to try and shag me in an empty corridor. Your dad actually saved me from having to hex malfoy's face off. He threatened to rape me if he caught me alone somewhere." Hermione recalled suddenly "Now I feel bad for saying your Dad likes whores."

"Malfoy said WHAT!" Sirius growled angrily.

"He won't touch me Sirius. The last time he tried I left him bound and gagged in the snow. A deserted corridor seems a nice place for such another round of duelling with me." Hermione said.

"The bastard actually threatened to rape you?" Sirius asked darkly.

"Don't worry about it Sirius. I think I can handle one drunken idiot." Hermione sighed as she stepped towards him and laid her cheek against his chest. She was enjoying dancing with him

"I'll kill him if he ever touches you again." Sirius threatened softly.

"No you won't. That will land you in Azkaban. The one place I'm trying to keep you as far from as possible" Hermione said sharply, lifting her face to look at him warily.

Sirius gaped at her in shocked before he leaned towards her and pressed his lips against her ear.

"What?"Sirius murmured "Did you just say you're trying to keep me out of Azkaban?"

Hermione froze, realising she had said too much again. Maybe the punch was going to her head.

"When you said that the first time you really met me you thought I was a murderer you meant it literally didn't you?" Sirius murmured into her ear again.

"I told you I'm not answering question about that Sirius." Hermione muttered back "I think I need another drink." She said, suddenly feeling thirsty and stressed from having been threatened by Malfoy, danced with Sirius's father, had a fight with Sirius's mother and now said too much about what she knew of the future she'd come from.

"I'll come with you." Sirius said leading her off the dance floor towards the table where several large fountain of punch and goblets stood.

Hermione sighed and looked around wondering where the rest of their friends had gotten to. Lily was dancing with Charlus Potter and they looked to be enjoying themselves because Lily kept laughing while Charlus's eyes gleamed cheekily.

She spotted Remus dancing with the pretty girl from Hogwarts who had Curly strawberry blonde hair. They looked to be getting rather close since the girl had her cheek against Remus's chest and he cuddled her against him.

James was dancing with his mother, looking very dashing as he dipped her impossibly low before swinging her back up and spinning off into a fast waltz. Hormone even spotted Peter dancing with a dark haired girl in a green dress that she didn't recognise and smiled to see him having a good time and not excluding himself just because all of his friends were busy.

Slowly Hermione weaved through people over to the punch table, where she filled her goblet. She was kind of hungry too so Hermione grabbed a pate and some food, watching Sirius copy her in silence.

"This way." Sirius nodded his head towards one of the doors and Hermione followed him as he led her out of the ball room and through several other rooms before stopping in what looked to be a sun room.

When he's set down his goblet and his plate of food Sirius flicked his waned to light to lamps.

"Are you ok 'Mione?" Sirius asked her softly as he watched Hermione sit down and stare at her plate of food.

"Sure." Hermione muttered. "What have you been up to all night anyway?"

"Oh you know, getting drunk with the Marauders, dancing with mum, chatting to Dad and his colleagues, avoiding my real parents, trying to get the prettiest girl her tonight oto dance with me."

"How'd that go for you?" Hermione asked "Any luck"

"Oh I eventually got her to dance with me, after she met my parents and told them she was having my love child and then told me that the first time she met me she thought I was a murderer who'd been to Azkaban Prison." Sirius said.

"Don't start." Hermione moaned tiredly.

"Who was I accused of killing?" Sirius asked softly.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "What time is it?"

"Almost midnight actually."

"No wonder I'm hungry."

"You've been busy tonight too. Me and James tried to save you a few times, but Mum kept shooing us away." Sirius said, seeming to let the subject drop.

"It wasn't so bad. For the most part I just had to smile and play nice." Hermione said, letting the small talk break down her bad mood. After all, it wasn't Sirius's fault.

"You look kinda handsome in your fancy robe, you know?" Hermione told him, sipping from her goblet and watching him from beneath her fringe.

Sirius smirked at her, his eyes twinkling with mischief when he realised that her mood had shifted.

"You think so huh?" he said.

"Well I suppose. Though I'm sure you'd look prettier if you'd let me do your hair." Hermione teased.

"Yeah right." Sirius rolled his eyes "You looked pretty good yourself."

"I'm glad you noticed. I had been beginning to worry that you might be going blind not to see it."

Hermione watched heat flare in Sirius's blue eyes and smiled softly. This was becoming familiar territory with him. They teased each other and played coy and played hard to get and it made Hermione feel better.

"Dance with me 'Mione?" Sirius asked her softly, his eyes suddenly showing nervousness.

"If I must." She teased him softly, letting him take her hand and pull her to her feet. They left their plates on the table, knowing the house elves would clean it up. Hermione didn't like it, but she didn't push the subject since it often earned her dislike from the elves and wizards alike.

"You want to dance in here or out in the ballroom again?" Sirius asked her softly.

Hermione smiled. The pathetic part of her that was completely smitten with him really wanted to stay in here, just the two of them and Hermione tried not to roll her eyes at herself. She failed though, and wasn't expecting the sudden lightheaded feeling that overtook her as she did so.

"Where would you like to dance with me Sirius?" Hermione murmured to him, suddenly feeling bold and cheeky.

"Everywhere." He replied, grinning at her "In fact, from now on whenever either of us wants to go somewhere we have to dance together the whole way."

Hermione giggled "Dance with me in here. If you try to dance me all the way out to the ballroom we'll run into everyone and both be dizzy by the time we get there."

"I was hoping you'd say that" Sirius murmured softly as he stepped towards her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her gently against him. Hermione sighed as she wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled up at him.

"Are you any good at dancing Sirius Black?" Hermione asked him as they began to sway and shuffle to the sounds of the jazz music playing in the ballroom. "Mostly we swayed and talked out there."

"I can do it without falling over." He told her with a small smile.

There was seductive quality to the music and Hermione found herself swaying easily to the tune as Sirius gently waltzed her around in the sun room. It wasn't as pretty as the ballroom which had been decorated with a spring theme to remind everyone of the good times to come in the New Year and the good in the old. Hermione found herself staring up at Sirius. The firelight glimmered in his eyes and against his shiny black hair and Hermione felt bewitched by the mesmerizing patterns they made in his eyes.

"Have I told you tonight that you look beautiful?" Sirius asked her softly as they song changed and they kept on dancing, adjusting their swaying so that it was in time to the new melody.

"I don't think that you have. Though I did see a little drooling earlier." Hermione smirked.

"You have no idea how beautiful you are when you smile at me like that." Sirius murmured, his eyes fixed on her face.

"Still trying to sweet talk your way into bed with me?" Hermione chuckled.

Sirius held her gaze "No Hermione. I'm trying to tell you that everything about you is wonderful and amazing. That you're so beautiful you take my breath away and that I've never been happier in all my life than since the day you landed on the Quidditch pitch."

Hermione felt herself blush crimson at his serious tone and the feeling glimmering in his eyes. She didn't know what to say to that, but Hermione smiled up at him before stepping closer and resting her cheek against his warm chest. She could hear his heart hammering wildly in his chest and Hermione closed her eyes as she felt herself begin to sway to the beat of his heart rather than the melody of the jazz music in the ballroom.

"I like dancing with you Snuffles." Hermione whispered softly as she breathed in the warm scent of him.

"Then don't ever stop 'Mione" Sirius whispered back to her, his arms wrapping around her more fully in a hug rather than a dancing pose.

Hermione didn't know how long they danced like that but from somewhere in the house a Grandfather clock that had been charmed to chime extra loud tonight struck midnight. Hermione pulled her face back from Sirius's warm chest as the clock began to chime and Sirius smiled down at her heatedly as they both counted the chimes until it reached twelve

"Happy New Year Sirius!" Hermione said happily as everyone in the ballroom began to shout. But Sirius Black didn't say a word. Instead he cupped Hermione's face in his hands and bent down to kiss her.

Hermione's eyes slid closed as Sirius kissed her. This time neither of them pulled away after just seconds and when Sirius's tongue flicked against her lips begging for entrance, Hermione obliged him. As his tongue swept against hers and his lips moved tenderly with hers, Hermione realised that until now she hadn't really kissed Sirius Black. His tongued massaged hers and Hermione felt her heart flutter wildly as her stomach somersaulted into it's acrobatics routine and the scent and taste of Sirius that Hermione had come to love so much permeated her senses.

Her hands slid into his hair, tangling into the silky locks as Hermione felt her knees turn to jelly. Kissing Sirius was as close to heaven as Hermione had ever been and the clock had stopped chiming and striking and all the world had fallen silent by the time Sirius gently pulled away from her lips and her eyelids fluttered open.

Hermione found Sirius watching her with a tender expression on his face as he lent his forehead against hers.

"Now it's a happy new year." Sirius whispered to her.

Hermione and Sirius both jumped when someone cleared their throat. Searching for the sound they both spotted Orion Black watching them with a small smile on his face.

"Son, do you mind if I interrupt?" he asked.

Hermione blushed, wondering how long he had been there, as well as realising the even though she and Sirius had both turned towards him, Sirius still had his forehead pressed tenderly against hers.

"You already have." Sirius replied "What do you want father?"

"You know that already I think son. You know your mother and I won't allow you to father a child out of wedlock." Orion said softly. He didn't raise his voice or make demands. He simply stated facts. Sirius smirked at Hermione for a minute.

"Well, I asked her to marry me but she turned me down. Wants to pass on the Peverell name and follow her ancestors footsteps of staying unmarried when she gives birth to our daughter." Sirius said with a completely straight face.

Hermione couldn't hold in her giggle though at the serious and grave expression on Orion's face.

"Oh Sirius don't be mean." Hermione admonished him softly before stepping towards Mr Black.

"I'm not really pregnant Mr Black. And I'm sorry for saying you had a penchant for whores. I don't like your wife."

Orion Black stared at her in shock for a full minute.

"Merlin you're a good actress. You had me believing I was going to be a grandfather." He chuckled.

"Yes well, that was the idea. But don't worry, everyone in the wizarding world will know by morning that Orion and Walbugra Black's defiant son is going to be a father." Hermione said "And they won't believe you when you tell them the truth."

"Are you really not pregnant? You seem moody enough that you could be."

"She's not pregnant, you just witnessed our first kiss. And that old hag deserves the bad publicity." Sirius interrupted before Hermione could get mad about being called moody.

"You know you broke her heart Son." Orion said "But I understand. I've tried to get her to come around to accepting you, but you know how she is."

Hermione raised her eyebrows, she'd never heard much about Sirius's father in her old life though she seemed to recall hearing Sirius once say that his father hadn't been as obsessed with image and pureblood mania as his mother had been.

"I'm really not pregnant." Hermione said softly.

Orion Black nodded, giving them both a small smile before he started to turn away.

"Dad…?" Sirius called softly "Let her stew for a while before you tell her?"

Orion turned back towards the two of them and this time mischief gleamed in his eyes.

"I think I can manage that." He said suddenly cheery again "Sirius… it's good to see you son." Hermione realised suddenly that while he might not be father of the year, Orion Black loved his son.

Sirius looked uncomfortable to hear him say that. "You too Dad. I suppose I'll see you in the summer…." Sirius said softly.

Orion smiled charmingly and took a few tentative steps towards his son, slowly extending his hand and looking nervous. Sirius looked like he wasn't going to shake his father's hand for a moment and Hermione stamped on his foot before nodding towards his father. Hermione almost giggled at how nervous and awkward they both were as they briefly shook hands.

"You know… if she had been pregnant, I would've been happy for you, son." Mr Black murmured, "I like this one."

Sirius smiled as they both looked over at Hermione.

"I like her too" Sirius said, winking at Hermione. Hermione blushed. "Especially when she does that."

"It was nice to meet you Hermione Peverell. I hope we meet again." Orion said

"It was nice to meet you too." Hermione said.

"I'll send some things for you back to school with your brother Sirius." Orion said to Sirius.

"Ok. I'll see you in the summer Dad." Sirius said.

Mr Black nodded once, watching his son with what look to Hermione like a wistful expression before her turned and strode out of the sun room back towards the ballroom.

When he'd gone Sirius strode back over and sat down next to Hermione where she had dropped onto one of the couches. He glanced sideways at her when they both stayed silent.

"Well that was awkward…." He muttered.

Hermione giggled "It was kind of funny. Though I can't believe you weren't going to shake his hand."

Sirius didn't say anything.

"He loves you Sirius. You know that right? He might not know how to show it very well, and he might sometimes be cruel to you, but I can tell that he loves you."

Sirius clenched his jaw "He does now that he's grown tired of my mother's tirades, but when I went to school he hated me as much as she did….. Can we talk about something else?"

Hermione smiled at him gently before shuffling towards him on the couch until she was pressed up against his side. It suddenly occurred to her that his constant need to be in her personal space was actually something that made him feel better. When she was pressed against his side Hermione wrapped his arm around her shoulder and snuggled her face against his chest. Almost immediately she felt him relax. Hermione hid her smile as she wrapped her arm across his stomach and buried her face where he couldn't see her expression.

"That was some kiss you gave me Sirius Black."


	18. Family Ties

**A/N: Arrggh! Another chapter. A super duper longer one! 14500 words! I hope you love it. Also, in my mind when Sirius is a dog he looks like a big goofy Newfoundland instead of the one in the movies and Remus looks like a real wolf only slightly human in the shoulders and arms and can run like a man if he want. Not like the ugly pathetic looking thing from the movie. He looks like a real werewolf would not like that yucky one from the movie. And the books back me up since they have to learn the difference between an Animagus and a werewolf meaning they must look similar. =) Thank you for all the reviews. I love them. Also, i know Dumbledore is supposed to be teaching Transfiguration but in this he is only teaching the NEWTs students because he's also training to be headmaster. Pretty please review and i will update again soon. Much love my cherubs xx-Kitten.**

**Them Boys**

Chapter 18: Family Ties

Hermione woke up late on the morning of the first day of the New Year. She and Lily and the Marauders had been up until the wee small hours of the morning as they finished off the last of the punch and all caught up on what had happened with each other last night, including Hermione fighting with Sirius's mother. All of the Marauders had smirked secretively when she told them that she'd called the evil old bitch less than decent and told her she'd die ugly and alone.

Remus had told them all of his evening spent with the curly haired Hufflepuff girl named Becky Reed who he had kissed at midnight and had asked to be his date to the next Hogsmede weekend at school. Peter had been successful too, the girl with black hair and the green dress that Hermione had seen him dancing with was a fifth year Ravenclaw named Katie Pierce. He had kissed her as the clock struck midnight and asked her to eat lunch with him and the Marauders sometime. Lily and James had of course kissed in the New Year, and Hermione had blushed crimson and hid behind her goblet of punch when Sirius had gleefully announced that he had kissed Hermione and then told them all about the awkward conversation with his father.

They had all rolled around on the floor laughing at the idea of Hermione refusing Sirius's marriage proposal as she insisted she wanted to pass on her last name to their love child. James had declared eternal love for Lily at the same time that Peter had fallen asleep with a soft snore face down on the carpet and they'd discussed the first prank the Marauders would play on the entire school for the New Year. The last thing Hermione remembered before everything got a little fuzzy was talking to Sirius after he'd carried her to bed in spite of how many times she'd protested that she could walk to bed just fine.

The problem was she couldn't remember what they'd been talking about and Hermione really hoped Sirius hadn't taken advantage of the fact that she was a little tipsy to try and wheedle her secrets about the future she'd known. Because she's already revealed way too much about that and even though she was working on changing that future, Hermione still didn't want her friends to know that in the life she had known before this, James, Lily and Sirius had all been dead. That Peter had betrayed them all, that Remus had spent his life alone for the twelve years Sirius had spent in prison.

As she stretched in bed Hermione couldn't keep her mind from straying back to the kiss Sirius had given her last night. She'd been thinking about it all night, even after she came to bed and she'd dreamed about him. Slowly Hermione rolled out of bed and changed out of her pyjama pants into a cute little black mini skirt she'd bought last week with Lily, pairing it with thick red woollen tights and her fur lined boots.

For now she kept Sirius's Quidditch jersey on and Hermione made sure to fix her hair and brush her teeth before she applied lip gloss.

It was odd that one of the Marauders hadn't woken her yet. Normally Sirius was up with the sparrows and he liked to come in and jump on her. Stepping out into the hall Hermione found that everyone's doors were closed and she couldn't hear a sound from any of them. They were supposed to catch the train back to Hogwarts tomorrow and Hermione had hoped that today they would all have fun together before they had to get back to studying and classes and not being able to hang out together in the same way they could here.

Tiptoeing across the hall Hermione drummed her fingers on Sirius's door but she didn't get an answer. Figuring he was probably still asleep Hermione grinned. She could jump on him and wake him up today for a change. She was kind of nervous about seeing him after that kiss last night, and didn't want him to think she was reading too much into or that she was falling for him when she was still trying to steal his heart. As quietly as she could, Hermione turned the door knob, wincing when the door creaked as she pushed it open and slipped inside. Sirius's room was pitch black because he had his curtains drawn, not only over the windows but also around his bed.

Hermione grinned as she slipped her boots off her feet to make sure she was silent before she tiptoed to the side of his bed and peaked her face through the curtains. And she just about had a heart attack at what she saw.

Lying there staring at her with his eyes wide open and a smirk on his face was a mussy haired Sirius Black. Hermione squeaked in shock at having been caught and Sirius laughed at her.

"Nice try 'Mione, but you're going to have to do better than that if you want to sneak up on me."

"You scared the daylights out of me!" Hermione hissed at him as she pressed her hand against her chest trying to calm her pounding heart.

"What time is it?" Sirius asked her sleepily.

"Only just eight." Hermione replied, grinning down at him.

"Why are you awake? Everyone else is hung over. No one will be out of bed before lunchtime and then Dad will cook us all an excellent brunch of greasy foods because every year we spike the punch and everyone drinks too much and we all get hung over."

"Oh, should I tell Lily she can stay in bed until lunch time?" Hermione said.

Sirius chuckled "No need, she slept in James's room last night. He'll tell her if she wakes up before then anyway. We fed her too much punch last night I think."

"Ok. Well then I'm sorry for waking you up. I'll go occupy myself until lunch." Hermione apologised.

Sirius just grinned at her and threw open the covers on the same side she stood "Get in 'Mione" he invited, smiling at her sleepily. Hermione bit her lips as she caught sight of his bare chest and all the scars down his arms and across his chest. She hesitated.

"Please 'Mione." Sirius pleaded giving her puppy dog eyes.

"You don't play fair when you look at me like that." Hermione told him as he smiled triumphantly when she pushed her way through the curtains and slipped into his bed next to him.

As soon as she was in Sirius threw the cover back over the two of them and wrapped his arms around her, dragging her closer to him until Hermione's head was cushioned on his shoulder.

"You're warm." Hermione murmured, burrowing against his sleep warmed body as she suddenly realised she was cold in just her skirt and tights.

"You smell amazing 'Mione." Sirius told her, burying his nose in her hair and taking a deep breath.

"So do you." Hermione replied without thinking. She froze and Sirius chuckled at her before pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Slowly Hermione slid her leg across him, knowing from experience that when she laid on him like this, the only comfortable spot for her legs was across his hips.

"Careful 'Mione" Sirius murmured sleepily "I was dreaming about you before you came in and you smell so damn good and look so adorable that you're about to find out a new meaning of 'rising with the sun'"

Hermione froze again for a moment before she let her leg keep sliding across his hips, shivering slightly when her thigh came to rest on something long and hard. New to the sensation Hermione shuffled her legs around trying to find somewhere comfortable to rest her thigh and Sirius groaned softly.

"You're killing me" he murmured when Hermione looked up at his face. Suddenly Hermione realised that each time she shifted her thigh she was creating friction against the lump in his pyjama pants and she smirked.

"No baby, if I was killing you I'd do this." Hermione murmured as she moved her thigh with more pressure up and down his body rather than across it, even as she trailed her manicured nails up and down his chest, scraping them over his nipple tauntingly. Lifting her head, Hermione pressed light kisses to his other nipple watching his face contort as another soft groan escaped him.

Goose pimples raced across Hermione's skin at the sound and when Sirius's hand slid into her loose long hair and pulled her up his body Hermione let him.

"Now who's not fighting fair?" Sirius moaned when Hermione kept rubbing her thigh against his erection.

"Who said anything about fighting fair Sirius Black?" Hermione whispered as she smiled down into his handsome face.

"You need to stop" he told her, his eyes opening to stare back at her hungrily even as his hand leapt to her thigh to cease its movement "Unless you've suddenly decided to let me have my way with you then you need to stop."

Hermione smirked down at him "What's the matter Sirius, can't handle the heat?" she teased.

"Not from you." Sirius admitted "Not when I want you so badly, I feel like a drug addict in need of a hit."

Hermione just kept smirking at him as her fingernail continued to scrape lightly against his nipple.

"Woman you're driving me crazy." Sirius told her when his hand left her thigh to catch her hand and her thigh resumed its movement.

Sirius growled when Hermione kept on doing it and this time when his hand seized her thigh, Sirius flipped them so that she was pinned beneath him and her leg was wrapped around his hip. Hermione hissed at the feel of the hard warm lump she'd been tormenting suddenly pressed directly against the centre of her body which had apparently approved of the sounds of Sirius's pleasure.

He didn't say anything when he smirked at her and Hermione bit her lip as Sirius nuzzled his face against her neck before pressing hot kisses against her throat. Her nose was filled with the smell of diesel and leather and his lips burned a searing trail of desire over her skin that sent spikes of desire straight to the spot where Sirius had begun to roll his hips against her. Suddenly the teasing friction she'd been creating didn't feel so funny when he turned it back on her.

Hermione heard herself moan softly and felt her hips rising to meet his as pleasure flooded her system. Sirius slid his hand across hers, intertwining their fingers before he pulled away from her neck. Hermione's eyes fluttered open to see the wicked smile on his face moments before he took control of her lips.

This kiss wasn't tender like the one he'd given her last night. This time his kiss told her just how much he wanted her. He took possession of her mouth, his tongue delving to spar with hers in a way that had Hermione's toes curling with pleasure. The hand he wasn't holding slid into his hair and Hermione found herself rising faster as Sirius began to thrust against her wickedly.

By the time Sirius pulled away from her with a groan and rolled off her, Hermione was breathless and tingly and had no shirt on anymore.

"Why did you stop?" She asked him huskily.

"Because if I don't stop now I won't until you really are knocked up." Sirius told her, his arm slung over his eyes as he laid next to her on his back.

"Oh…" Hermione murmured, unsure what to say to that as she took stock of the fact that her whole body pulsed with need and she realised that in spite of her bra, she was currently topless and lying in Sirius Black bed. And she wanted him to do a whole lot more than take her shirt off.

Had he really just pulled away from her when she was all but begging for him to go whole lot further than he had? Hermione felt confused. Surely if he was just interested in sleeping with her he would've pushed his advantage right now. Surely he would be unhooking her bra and stripping her of her clothing and making her feel a whole lot more than the quivering pile of jelly she felt like now.

"Why aren't you hung over 'Mione?" Sirius asked her, changing the subject before Hermione could ask him why he didn't try to sleep with her.

"I think I might still be a little bit drunk" Hermione groaned. When they'd sat up chatting they'd done so with a whole lot of punch that was left over from the evening and by the time Peter had fallen asleep on the floor they'd all been well beyond tipsy.

"What makes you think so?" Sirius murmured. He still has his arm slung over his eyes and Hermione found herself admiring him. His long hair hung loose as always and it was wavy this morning because he'd gone to bed with it wet. He had a little bit of stubble beginning to show along his jaw too.

"The fact that it sort of bothers me that you stopped just now." Hermione admitted "That's why I think I must still be a little bit drunk. Because I'm the one saying no, yet here I am bothered when you do it back." Hermione blushed when she saw Sirius smirk.

"Ooh and I'm getting a head ache." Hermione groaned as she suddenly took stock of exactly how she felt this morning. "The room is spinning" she complained.

"Come here." Sirius murmured, holding his free arm out towards her. Hermione shuffled towards him. "Close your eyes and try to go back to sleep and it will all be better when you wake up again." Sirius told her as Hermione snuggled her face against his scarred chest. His hand stroked her hair gently and Hermione smiled as a warm fuzzy feeling settled over her, dimming her head ache and making her feel happy and contented.

Sirius was still stroking her hair gently when Hermione drifted back to sleep.

HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB

The next time Hermione opened her eyes the first thing she noticed was the soft sound of Sirius snoring. Her face was pillowed in the hollow of his shoulder and he held her close with both arms. His chest was smooth and warm beneath her cheek and when Hermione lifted her head and peered into his face she smiled. He looked peaceful and content in sleep.

Sleepily Hermione noticed the shiny pink and red scars on Sirius from having saved her life. They had all sealed shut now, though the tissue beneath the skin was still healing slowly. The ones on his chest were still red and angry, especially the one over his heart. Hermione smiled as she gently trailed her fingertips across the uneven surface. Her face rested on the claw marks that led sideways to the big one on his hear, but Hermione could reach the rest. Slowly, being careful not to wake Sirius, Hermione trailed her fingers over each scar, lining each finger up with the claw marks that stretched almost the length of his arms, as well as with the ones on my stomach and ribs.

She traced the outline of the one over his heart, starting where it began at the curve of his neck and following the horrifying outer edges as they dipped and swelled in the indescribable shape that ran to the base of his ribs and all the way up the other side. When she had traced the outline, Hermione let her fingertips skim across the surface of the giant scar, revelling at the fact that while it looked so angry and unfriendly, it was still that incredibly soft texture that scars had. Hermione marvelled at the fact that other than one edge, Sirius's nipple that side had managed to avoid being damage.

She could see the puncture hole scars of teeth around it and realised that if Remus had ripped any harder he would've torn Sirius's nipple clean off. As it was, the piece of flesh that his nipple sat on had been hanging off him in a grotesque tatter when Hermione had fixed him up and even then it had only hung on by a thread.

"How long have you been doing that?" Sirius's voice whispered to her sleepily. He hadn't opened his eyes but he wore a very small smile.

"A little while" Hermione whispered back, not stilling her hand of its inspection of the scar.

"It feels nice." Sirius murmured when Hermione's hand shifted to trace the deep claw marks down Sirius's right arm again. "What time is it?"

"A little past eleven. You can sleep a while longer if you want to."

Sirius sighed and slowly opened his eyes "No I can't we need to get James and Lily out of bed. Mum will flip if she finds out Lily slept in his bed and knowing James he'll still be snoring until someone wakes him."

"I thought you lot didn't keep secrets from each other." Hermione said when Sirius cuddled her closer rather than getting up.

"We don't. Unless we've broken a specific rule Mum has set. Then we refrain from telling her unless we have to. And unless James knocked Evans up last night, we really don't have to tell Mum that they shared a bed, otherwise she'll probably set some sort of rule that will mean girls can only stay here with us if you and Evans sleep in the other wing of the Manor near Mum and Dad's room."

"I'm confused. Last week you calmly discussed with Mr and Mrs Potter the fact that you sleep around at school. She knows you at least have had sex, I'm not sure about James."

"Prongs hasn't unless him and Evans got freaky last night, but Mum's not worried about us having sex. She's worried about having to explain to Evans's mother that Evans got knocked up on her watch. Most families take a much stricter outlook than the Potters do."

"Oh I know." Hermione muttered, thinking of all the times at the Burrow when Molly had been suspicious when Hermione sat around in a room with Harry and Ron for too long.

"I suppose Mum and Dad would be if they had a daughter, which is probably why they've started cracking down on it now that you and Evans are in the picture."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked softly.

"Hmm? Oh, since you have no real family anymore Mum's doing what she always does, before long she'll have your room across the hall set up permanently as a bedroom for you and let you decorate it however you like. She'll start calling you her daughter if you hang around with us long enough." Sirius told her with a smile.

"Same goes for Evans since her parents are muggles, though she's been counting Evans as part of the family for years because she never lost faith that James would convince Evans to fall in love with him."

"Why did she refer to me and Lily as being the girls who stole her sons hearts?" Hermione whispered, closing her eyes in a vague attempt to keep from blushing.

"Hermione we have no secrets in this family. She knew the day James fell for Evans, and she knows I haven't dated anyone since you turned me down." Sirius said in an odd voice.

"On Christmas Eve she found me reading in the library and told me some things about you." Hermione whispered softly.

"What kind of things?"

"Oh stuff about how she counted you as her son just as much as James, the same for Remus because of the way your parents are. She thinks you fancy me." Hermione knew she was fishing just a little bit to see if maybe Sirius had started to fall for all the things Hermione had been trying to do to steal his heart without him realising it.

"We should wake Prongs and the others." Sirius told her, changing the subject without another word on the subject of fancying anyone. Hermione moved to pull away from him so they could get up, but before she could, Sirius tightened his arms around her, pulling her closer and pressing a kiss against her forehead.

Hermione's skin tingled as Sirius released her with a smile before he rolled out of bed, ripped back the curtain and stretched languidly like the giant dog he could turn into.

Hermione gasped when he proceeded to transform right there into a dog and then stretched that way too. When he transformed back again he grinned at Hermione.

"I always stretch better as a dog than I can as a human." He told her before he wandered over to his cupboard, opening the rest of the curtains as he went.

Hermione watched him get dressed in navy track pants and a jumper that Mrs Potter had probably knitted for him. It had a pair of Beaters bat crossed over the chest like cross bones, in brown while the rest of the jumper was soft and red.

"You ever gonna give me that back?" Sirius asked her, grinning as he nodded at the Quidditch jersey Hermione was pulling back over her head, realising that she had fallen asleep topless.

"We discussed this Black and since you got blood all over my shirt and haven't given it back, I have to have something to sleep in. This is my jersey now." Hermione teased him.

"You're lucky you look cute in it woman, that's my favourite jersey."

"No no, it _was_ your favourite jersey. But now it's my favourite jersey so you have to find yourself a new favourite."

Sirius chuckled "Come one love, we better wake the others." When Sirius walked out into the hallway, Hermione trailed after him, enjoying the way she now smelled like Sirius all over. She eyed his back as he sauntered down the hall towards James's room and suddenly a wonderful idea struck Hermione.

Running silently in her socks Hermione launched herself onto Sirius's back, wrapping her arms over his shoulders and around his neck and wrapping her legs around his narrow hips, locking her ankles over his stomach. Sirius didn't even seem notice, just snorted at her when she kissed his cheek before he took hold of James's doorhandle and flung the door wide open. It banged against the wall and Hermione laughed as she heard both James and Lily groan at the loud noise.

"JAMESY WAKE UP!" Sirius shouted loudly as he leapt into the room and threw the curtain over the windows and then the ones around James's bed wide. Hermione giggled as she clung to his back.

"What is wrong with you Black?" Lily snarled angrily as she blinked rapidly as the gleam over sunlight on the snow practically blinded her. "Were dropped on your head a lot as a kid or have you taken too many Bludgers to the head, that means you have to make loud noises all the time?"

"You are kind of loud." Hermione told Sirius from her perch on his back.

"Quiet you. Turtle shells don't talk." Sirius told her.

"I bet they don't do this either." Hermione giggled before scrubbing her knuckles against the top of his head in a noogie.

"James, he's your boyfriend, you deal with him." Lily groaned as she smushed a pillow over her face and flopped back on the bed. While Sirius howled and tried to fight Hermione off.

"My boyfriend!" James cried, "Oh Evans he's so much more than my boyfriend. Sirius is my soulmate. The love of my life. The only man I could ever love!"

Lily's fist came flying towards James's face but in spite of the fact that he wasn't wearing his glasses he managed to dodge the blow.

"Prongs you told me I was the only man you loved!" Remus shouted from the doorway where he stood, dressed almost identical to Sirius except his jumper had a giant R on the front and was green.

"You!" Sirius cried clutching his heart and falling to his knees. Hermione squeaked and climbed off his back in panic. "Moony you promised me that you would love me forever." Sirius shouted back.

"Don't worry Remus, Potter told me he'd love me forever too but if you lot all keep shouting forever is going to come to an abrupt halt for all of you" Lily threatened darkly from beneath her pillow.

"Her!" Sirius and Remus cried simultaneously, even as Sirius leapt to his feet.

"Moony we can't let him get away with this. He declared his eternal love to a girl. Now he'll have cooties!" Sirius shrieked like a girl.

"You're right Padfoot, we'll have to decontaminate him!" Remus grinned wickedly.

"WORMTAIL!" Sirius, James and Remus all shouted at once.

Hermione laughed when Peter suddenly rushed into the doorway still in his pyjamas and looking half asleep.

"Help Pete!" James shouted but the other two drowned him out.

"Prongs had to be decontaminated. He declared eternal love for a girl!" Sirius and Remus declared before. Peter nodded, smiling suddenly before all three boys leapt onto the bed.

Lily screamed before groaning and clutching her head.

"Hermione help!" James yelped as all three of his best friends began punching him beneath the covers. "Help, fight with me because I love a girl!"

Hermione giggled before she leapt into the fray. She clambered over Peter when she tickled him out of the way before she set to work on Sirius, wrapping herself around his back tightly and starting to braid his hair.

"Remus help she's getting cooties on me!" Sirius cried even as he kept pounding away at James who was shouting at Peter and Lily that he was innocent. Peter just laughed and copied Sirius, pounding on James too while Lily had scrambled out of bed to avoid getting dragged into this.

Hermione laughed when Remus's strong arms latched around her beneath her shoulders and he dragged her away. Because even as he tugged and pulled at Hermione, Hermione kept her grip on Sirius, squeezing him tightly between her thighs and dragged him off James and onto the floor.

"Lily quick, fight off Pete and you can reinfest James with cooties! Don't let them decontaminate him or he'll fall in love with them instead of you!" Hermione shouted.

Lily looked sceptical for a moment before she shrugged and leapt onto Peter's back with a cry, toppling him sideways until she could plaster herself on top of James, where she proceeded to shower kisses all over his face.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Remus, Sirius and Peter all cried is despair as James wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and kissed her back happily.

"You do love me!" James cried happily.

"He's lost to us lads" Remus declared in disgust as Hermione let go of Sirius and Remus stood her on her feet.

Hermione grinned slyly and glanced at him.

"There are still plenty of cooties to go around!" Hermione shouted before she leapt across the room and wrapped her arms around an unsuspecting Peter and pressed a kiss to both of his cheeks, his nose, his forehead and his chin. Before he could fight back Hermione released him and sprang at Remus catching herself against his solid chest before giving him the same treatment as Peter.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" Sirius screamed as each of his friends looked shocked and dumbfounded for a moment and Hermione tried to catch hold of him.

"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!" he screeched as he dodged out of her reach. Hermione chuckled.

"Get him Pete. We can't let him go free!" Hermione cried. Peter giggled and grabbed Sirius from behind, managing to get a hold of his friend in the full nelson headlock.

"How could you let her turn you like this! I trusted you!" Sirius screamed, writhing in Peter's grip.

Hermione laughed as she sprung at him and wrapped her arms around his waist since Peter had hold of his arms and neck.

"Wait Pete I can save you!" Sirius cried as he began to pound his fist against his friend's arm. "Five kisses is equal to five punches you're free! Save Moony quick"

Peter immediately dropped Sirius and rushed towards Remus who was too busy laughing at the theatrics to resist as Peter punched him five times.

"I'm going to get you Sirius Black." Hermione told him, clinging to his waist as he pushed on her shoulders trying to keep his face out of her reach.

"I braided you hair Padfoot." Hermione told him. Sirius immediately stopped pushing against her as his hands leapt to his hair in horror and Hermione struck with kisses all over his face.

"Arrrrgh! They burn" Sirius screamed until Hermione planted a kiss on his lips. Then Sirius stopped fighting her and wrapped his arms around her instead.

"Save him quick Pete!" Remus shouted as they both sprang forward to save their friend.

Hermione struggled as Peter pulled her off Sirius while Remus pretended to struggle against him until Remus punched him a bunch of times.

"You kids are all destined for the psych ward in St. Mungos." Charlus Potter told them mildly from the door.

Everyone jumped and spun towards him. James even pushed Lily aside and leapt out of bed.

"We're not crazy." James declared indignantly. Hermione giggled when she noticed the way all four boys had gone tense and all grinned slyly at each other.

"GET HIM!" James shouted before all four of them rushed towards Charlus.

Mr Potter was already spinning and running for the stairs as James shouted.

"Dorea HELP!" Mr Potter cried.

"Mum can't help you now Dad!" Sirius yelled as they raced after the older man. Hermione rushed after them, half terrified one of them would fall down the stairs and break their neck.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Mrs Potter shouted from the doorway of the dining room.

Hermione gasped as she watched the boys catch Mr Potter in the lounge room.

They all laughed as they all hit the ground and Hermione raised her eyebrows as Charlus wrestled right along with them, pinning one of them only to have the other three fight him off their friend.

"Hermione, Lily, Help!" Charlus shouted even as he laughed when he spotted them watching in fascination.

Hermione didn't even stop to think about how strange this was. She hadn't played and wrestled with people the way she did with the Marauders ever before, but as she dove into the wrestling pile of boys Hermione couldn't keep the smile off her face. Playing with them was fun and made her feel at home and comfortable with them like she'd never felt with anyone before.

Hermione leapt at Remus, tackling him away from Mr Potter and they both rolled away across the carpet as Remus immediately began to tickle her. Hermione tickled him back and they both squirmed until Peter came to Remus's rescue and tickled Hermione as well.

She managed to wiggle free of them and seized hold of Sirius's foot and tickled it until he turned to fight her off and Charlus broke free, tackling both James and Sirius to the ground and catching the in headlocks.

"Lily help!" Hermione cried as she laughed when Remus and Peter caught her again. This time Lily jumped in as well even while James and Sirius fought and shouted as they tried to escape Charlus. Lily jumped on Remus's back and he laughed as he began to leap about, trying to throw her off him.

"We've got them now girls!" Charlus cried as Hermione spun around and caught hold of Peter, tickling his mercilessly.

Hermione paused when Peter started to cough and wheeze.

"Are you ok Pete?" She asked, rocking back and letting him go. Everyone else stopped wrestling and fighting as Peter knelt on his hands and knees and coughed even harder.

"Accio Inhaler!" Mrs Potter cried suddenly.

A little insulin puffer like Hermione had grown up watching her mother use came whizzing into the room and Dorea Potter caught it before handing it to Peter.

"Are you alright dear? You know better than to over exert yourself like this. Oh and the cold air in the house won't be helping…" She fretted as Peter took two deep puffs of the inhaler "Snippet, Dippet!" She called. Two house elves appeared in front of her.

"What does you need Mistress?" they asked her, both vying for a job.

"Could you both please work on getting this house heated better? Peter's asthma is playing up today.

"Of course Mistress. Is Mister Peter ok, Mistress?"

"He'll be just fine, but we need to keep this old house nice and warm."

They both popped back out of the room with a crack and almost immediately the house began to warm up.

"I'm sorry Peter. I didn't know you had Asthma. If I did I wouldn't have tickled you so much." Hermione apologised as she stared at the blonde boy.

"It's ok Hermione. It's not serious asthma. I just have trouble catching my breath when we wrestle like this sometimes." Peter said, blushing at having everyone attention focused on him.

"You ok mate?" James asked him. Peter nodded and Remus heaved him to his feet.

"Brunch is ready anyway. Charlus you let go of Sirius this minute before you crush the poor boy." Dorea said, shooing everyone towards the kitchen. Or trying to. It didn't work very well because James, Remus and Sirius all stopped to help Charlus to his feet

"You know Dorea, I thought we stopped at one child to avoid having them gang up on us like this." Charlus laughed good-naturedly.

"We did my dear husband. But somehow we seem to have ended up with six, just the same." Dorea said, smiling fondly as Charlus wrapped his arms around her shoulders "And I'm so glad that we did. This big old house gets so empty without them all here to fill it with life."

Hermione thought she saw Mrs Potter's lip begin to tremble.

"Don't worry Mum, we'll be back again before you know it." James assured his mother as he caught sight of her trembling lower lip too. "All of us. The very next time we have holidays we'll all come back and visit you ok?"

"Oh honey do you promise you will?" Dorea said, beaming again and taking her son's hand.

"We promise Mum." Sirius grinned as he dropped into his seat at the table.

"And the girls too?" Dorea said hopefully as she turned her kind, smiling face on Hermione and Lily.

"I would be delighted to visit again" Hermione spoke up smiling. "To be honest I don't really want to go back to school tomorrow."

"Who are you and what have you done with Hermione?" all of her friends demanded. Hermione gasped as she realised she suddenly had five wands trained on her.

"What on earth are you all doing with your wands out? We're trying to have Brunch!" Dorea grumbled in exasperation.

"The real Hermione would never say she wanted to stay away from school." Sirius told her, eyeing Hermione suspiciously.

"Oh relax all of you. I just meant that it's been so nice staying here together that I'm going to miss it when we go back to school." Hermione waved them away as she reached forward and picked up a bowl of scrambled eggs and scooped some onto a piece of toast.

"Well Hermione dear, I want you to know that no matter the time you are always welcome here and any time you feel the need, you simply must write to us. About absolutely anything. You're a part of this family now." Mrs Potter told her, reaching over and taking Hermione's hand. "And so are you Lily. Just like my four boys." She said smiling at each of them.

Sirius caught Hermione's eye across the table and smiled at her knowingly even as he shoved a forkful of bacon and sausage dripping in brown sauce into his mouth.

"Oh Charlus I love it when our family grows bigger" she said happily, squeezing Hermione's hand before letting it go.

"I know we still have dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow…." Lily began shyly "But thank you so much for inviting me here for Christmas. It would've been awfully lonely at Hogwarts by myself."

"Oh Lily dear you're always welcome here. You mustn't thank us." Mrs Potter smiled at the blushing red head fondly "We've always thought of you as part of the family because James has been so smitten with you for so long."

Hermione giggled when James didn't even have the decency to blush. Instead he just beamed at Lily and ruffled his incredibly messy hair.

"So what do you all have planned for your last day of Christmas break?" Mr Potter asked them cheerily.

"Riding!" Sirius said suddenly "I haven't been on my bike all break."

"I had begun to wonder if you'd forgotten about your bike." Mr Potter said.

Hermione fiddled with the heart and arrow ring on her finger as Sirius turned his twinkling blue eyes on her.

"You ever ridden a motorcycle 'Mione?" he asked her, flashing that charming heart breaker smile.

"No. Brooms and a Thestral once, but I've never been on a motorcycle." Hermione admitted "Though when I was a girl I had a bicycle that I loved to ride."

"I didn't know you liked to fly Hermione." Remus said.

"Oh I don't. I can do it if I must, but I always look down and terrify myself." Hermione told him with a smile.

"What's a Thestral?" Lily asked sounding uncertain and curious.

Hermione blushed suddenly. "Oh, um… Thestrals are what pull the carriages from the station to the castle at Hogwarts." Hermione explained.

"No they aren't. Nothing pulls the carriages, they just pull themselves. They're charmed or something." Lily argued.

Hermione sighed, remembering the time she had once argued the same thing. As she sat there eating breakfast on the first day of 1977, Hermione couldn't keep her eyes from straying to stare at Sirius.

In her fifth year she had argued that nothing pulled the carriages. And the reason she could now see the creatures that actually did pull the carriages was because as one must in order to see them, she had watched someone die.

Sirius Black.

The boy sitting across from her with a slight frown on his face, that Hermione had gone and gotten her heart all tangled up in was the person she had watched fall backward through the Whispering Veil and die, never to be seen again. Hermione bit her lip as she stared at him because it had begun to tremble just the tiniest bit at the very idea that if she didn't work on altering the future, he would meet the same end. Mr Potter seemed to notice her distraction.

"Lily, a Thestral is a sort of skeletal looking black horse with big leathery black wings. They are carnivorous and as I understand it, a herd of them dwells within the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts. As Hermione rightly states, they pull the carriages."

"But I've never seen anything pull the carriages." James said "Have you Sirius?"

Sirius looked up and found Hermione watching him with a devastated sort of look on her face.

"I've seen them" Sirius said grimly "But you haven't because they are invisible to wizards unless you've seen Death."

"What do you mean?" Lily asked, puzzled now "How do you see death? You say Death as though you mean some sort of being, like a grim reaper."

"He means, my dear, that you cannot see Thestrals unless you have witnessed someone dying. Have watched as someone takes their last breath." Mrs Potter said gravely.

"To watch that is to know Death is more than a state of being but an actual entity" Hermione murmured sadly "To watch the life seep out of someone and the light leave their bright eyes cold and unseeing… that is to know that while we all pass on to the next path of our journey, it is in Death's arms that you are taken to that next path."

Hermione watched Lily rub at her arms as goose pimples sprang up all over her skin. Mrs Potter reached over and took Hermione's hand gently.

Hermione forced a smile onto her face and dragged her eyes away from Sirius's as she realised he had been gazing back at her with as much intensity as she had stared at him. Hermione blinked rapidly before she looked at him again.

"But anyway, Sirius if you're offering to let me ride you motorcycle than I suppose I ought to see what all the fuss is about." Hermione said, forcing conversation back to what they all had planned for the day rather than heavy topics like Thestrals and death.

"Then I'm offering, but you're not driving, I'll just double you." Sirius said, catching on that Hermione was trying to lighten the mood.

"Well you can't do that all day. What else will you do?" Mr Potter asked.

"We could work on our magic some more, and we really ought to come up with a name for when we do it, otherwise people will look at us funny and ask why we're at school if not to work on our magic." Hermione said brightly. "I found a new book in the library yesterday that ought to be fun to learn some new spells from."

"You still haven't explained the purpose behind this… mission you're on?" Mrs Potter said.

The six of them all glanced at each other.

"I suppose you could say that we're sort of in training…." Hermione said, reluctant to say that they were training so that they would be ready when the war began since it was another heavy topic.

"Mostly we're just working on our skills and expanding the repertoire of magic that we can perform Mum." James told her "Like, Hermione's really good at non-verbal magic and is pretty good at wandless magic too, so she's been helping the rest of us learn to that. And we've been learning new spells and their counter curses."

"Well I must say I think it's a ripping good idea. Never can have too many spells stored away, just in case you need one of them." Mr Potter said jovially "We ought to participate too Dorea, we could teach these whipper-snappers a thing or two I'd warrant. And it wouldn't hurt to brush on some of the magic I've certainly forgotten over the years."

"Oh now I don't know that we could teach them all that much darling." Mrs Potter said "I think we'll find they can teach us a thing or two. I watched them duelling yesterday in the library for a few minutes and I fear that if you or I were to seriously duel them, we might lose. They are all incredibly gifted too, after all, it's not everyday you hear of three teenage boys mastering the magic of Animagi before they've even taken their O.W.L.s" Mrs Potter's eyes twinkled with mischief as all four Marauders and Hermione all froze at her words.

Hermione watched Lily Evans pause with her forkful of eggs halfway to her mouth.

"Um…. Mum we hadn't gotten around to telling Evans all that stuff yet…." Sirius said.

"What did you just say?" Lily asked Mrs Potter.

"I know you hadn't all told Lily about that yet Sirius" Mrs Potter said "But you know how I feel about keeping secrets in this family." Her voice was sharp as she said that and for a moment Hermione panicked.

Had she or Sirius hinted something about the truth about her?

"What is the biggest and only enforced rule in this house Sirius?" She asked him, fixing him what could almost be called a glare and Hermione suddenly realised what was going on.

"That we don't keep secrets from each other." Sirius answered.

"And why is that my only real rule?" Mrs Potter asked.

"Because keeping secrets from the people you love is the quickest way to damage relationships if those secrets land in the wrong hands." James answered his mother sounding puzzled as to why she was recapping the rules all of a sudden.

Unable to hold it in any longer because she had worked out exactly why they were suddenly being lectured, Hermione started to laugh causing everyone at the table to stare at her.

"Something funny?" Sirius asked her looking completely confused.

"I think I know what you're getting at Mrs Potter" Hermione turned to smile at the older woman "And you should know that it's all utter twaddle. I'm sure that sometimes during last night someone gossiped to you that I told Walburga Black she was an old hag who wouldn't be having any part in her grandchild's life. Is that what this is all about?" Hermione clarified.

"That would be correct dear." Mrs Potter said before glaring at Sirius again. "That's quite the secret to keep from your family Sirius Black and I won't have you keeping something this important from us."

"Mrs Potter, it's not true." Hermione interrupted "That old harpie told Sirius that he wasn't to approach her in public, that he had no right to breathe the same air as her and that since she gave him life she could take it away too and said he was no son of hers. She also called me the daughter of whores and said my named sounded more like Whore Moaning than Hermione."

Mrs Potter covered her mouth as it fell open in shock but Hermione smiled brightly.

"She also tried to slap me when I told her that the reason she was being introduced to a whore's daughter was because her husband had a penchant for whores. So then I told her that she is nothing but a worthless old hag who would one day die ugly and alone with only Kreacher to mourn her, then I told her she is a pathetic excuse for a human being, that she has no manners and that she wasn't allowed near her unborn grandchild because I didn't want her tainting my daughter with her filth."

Hermione winked at Sirius when she noticed he was beaming at her.

"But I'm not actually pregnant. I just knew that everyone who heard our argument would rush around gossiping about what I had said and about the fact that someone who places a lot of value on public image had no control over her own children because her first born son had knocked up a girl before finishing school."

"So you're not actually going to give birth this summer?" Mr Potter asked, grinning slyly.

"Certainly not." Hermione told him watching the way Mrs Potter deflated in relief.

"Then why on earth did you tell people you were Hermione?" She asked sounding exasperated now.

"Because it makes her look bad."

"But honey it makes you look bad too. The whole wizarding community will think you're pregnant."

Hermione shrugged. "I'm not, so what does it matter? Besides, no one gets away with talking to me or to anyone I love like that. Especially not some nasty old bitch with a genealogy book shoved too far up her behind to love her son like a mother is supposed to."

Mrs Potter looked shocked but Hermione grinned when Mr Potter began to applaud. The Marauders joined in and feeling particularly proud of herself, Hermione got to her feet and bowed to them all while they all laughed.

"No wonder you lot took to her so quickly. She's worse the four of you put together. I'd say she has more courage than all of the occupants of Gryffindor. It's not just anyone who has the courage to stand up to Walburga Black." Mr Potter said.

"Oh but she didn't actually slap you did she?" Mrs Potter fretted.

"A would've let her." Sirius said. Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

"She tried to. I caught her hand before she could make contact." Hermione said modestly.

"Well then… Sirius honey I'm sorry for accusing you of keeping secrets." Mrs Potter said reaching over and patting Sirius's cheek gently.

"That's ok Mum." Sirius grinned at her charmingly.

Everyone went back to eating for a moment until Lily suddenly spoke.

"Not to rehash subjects or anything…. But can we go back to the part where Mrs Potter said you lot mastered the magic of Animagi before you even took your O.W.L.s?"

"Oh dear…." Mrs Potter said, she glanced at all four boys, her eyes lingering on Remus who had gone pale. "Well, you might as well tell her boys. She's dating James now, she would've noticed something eventually and none of you are careful enough with your nicknames for each other."

"Hermione do you have any idea what's going on?" Lily demanded, clearly growing impatient with the cryptic nature of the conversation.

"Um… I think it best if the boys field this question…" Hermione said, not looking at Lily.

"What on earth is going on?" Lily demanded.

"Should we just show her?" Sirius asked his friends "And explain after."

"Might be the best way to keep her from running out of the house screaming." Remus said. Hermione glanced up at him and noticed that he looked angry.

"Show me what?" Lily growled.

"Come on lads. Before she has kittens." Sirius said, getting to his feet and stepping away from the table. James and Peter followed suit and Lily glared at them all as they moved to the empty space next to the table so Lily could see them all clearly.

"One" Sirius began.

"Two" Peter said.

"Three" James finished.

And just like that, the three boys disappeared. Hermione watched in fascination as they transformed into their animal forms and next to her Lily gasped in shock.

"Remus what is going on?" She said as she watched Remus get to his feet too and stand with his friends.

"Come here for a minute Lily." Remus asked her. Slowly, with Hermione nudging her towards them Lily made her way around the table to where a stag, a giant black dog and a brown rat stood in the dining room of Potter Manor.

"Hermione did you know about this?" Lily whispered to her as they rounded the table.

"Yes." Hermione said simply before she stepped away from Lily as Sirius's tail began to wag and he dropped into a play bow. He wiggled in place until Hermione grinned at him. Then he sprang forwards, barking madly as he toppled her over.

Hermione started to laugh as her butt hit the ground because Sirius clambered forwards, knocking her over until she was flat on her back, where he proceeded to flop down on top of her and cover her in dog slobber as he licked every part of her that had skin bare.

"Oh Sirius don't be mean to the poor girl." Mrs Potter laughed.

"Paws off, Pooch!" Hermione laughed at him. Sirius didn't move though. Instead he licked her face again and barked at her.

"That's Black?" Lily said, sounding astonished. Of course before she could speak again James walked towards her and Hermione watched his stag tongue stick out and lick Lily's cheek.

"Potter?" She said uncertainly.

Hermione laughed outright when James brayed at her.

"What in Merlin's name is going on?" Lily said even as she reached out and touch James's fur covered nose.

"Now for the fun part." Hermione said as she pushed Sirius off of her and got to her feet.

All three boys transformed back and James took Lily's hand.

"You better sit down while we explain Lily." He said gently.

"You, Black and Peter can turn into animals at will and now you think I ought to sit down?" Lily demanded incredulously.

"Well…. Don't you want to why we learned to turn into animals at will?" James asked her reasonably.

As they all regained their seats James began "We finally managed Animagi early last year after studying it in secret since second year. We're unregistered and hope to stay that way so you need to keep this a secret."

"Can Remus do it too?" Lily asked, glancing at the sandy haired boy.

"No." Sirius said.

"What on earth made you try Animagi for so long without Remus?" Lily asked, confused now.

"You better field this one Moony." James said softly.

"She's going to scream." Remus said unhappily.

"Remus, we still love you. Lily will too. And if she can't, then we'll obliviate her." Hermione told him with a smile. "Lily, you're not allowed to freak out. I've never tried a memory charm but I'm not above trying it for the first time on you." Hermione added as she looked at Lily.

"I'm not an Animagus Lily." Remus began after her took a big deep breath "James, Sirius and Peter learned how to become Animagi because of me though."

Hermione smiled at him encouragingly when he paused and looked particularly wary and unhappy at the idea of admitting the truth.

"They learned how to do it because they really are the best friends anyone could ask for and they wanted to help me." Remus said. Lily still looked completely confused and Remus sighed.

"I'm a werewolf Lily." He said tiredly.

Lily gasped, her hand leaping to her mouth and Hermione watched the horror begin to show in her eyes. Remus clenched his Jaw and Sirius crossed his arms angrily when Lily began to look terrified.

"I was bitten when I was five years old and when I was eleven a select few of the teachers who know about my condition set up a way that I would be able to attend Hogwarts in spite of my curse. Every month on the full moon we make excuses that I have a sick relative or an illness or a dying pet or a family wedding or any other form of excuse that will explain why I'm absent once a month. But I don't go home. I go into the Shrieking Shack to transform. There are no ghosts that haunt it. The screaming and howling and wailing all comes from me. And when I finally told my friends in second year, instead of being terrified of me they immediately set about finding a way that they could save me from attacking myself in the Shrieking Shack every full moon."

Hermione smiled sadly at the gratitude in Remus's eyes as he looked at his best friends. Lily still had her hand over her mouth and she was silently shaking her head but even as she did Hermione watched her take several deep breaths. When she took her hand away from her mouth she was frowning and Hermione watched in terror as Lily opened her mouth, half expecting the red head to scream.

"You're a werewolf?" She clarified in a voice that sounded a little angry. Remus gave a sharp nod. They all watched in horror as Lily stood up suddenly and Hermione was certain the girl was going to storm out or run away but as they all watched her, Lily Evans stomped around the table to where Remus stood leaning against his chair since he didn't seem comfortable with sitting as he'd told her.

Lily stopped when she stood in front of him and Hermione watched her glare up at him.

"You're a jerk." She told him angrily "When I met you on the boat ride to the castle in first year I whispered to you and Severus that some fifth year on the train had told me there were werewolves in the forest that would eat me if I broke the rules at Hogwarts. I was terrified to be anywhere but the common room as soon as the sun started to go down until third year!" Lily yelled. "If I'd known that I was actually friends with a werewolf I would've saved myself a lot of terror and a whole lot of rushing out of the library with useless books just so I could get back to the common room before dark. You should have told me!"

Then Lily socked Remus in the arm with a thump before she threw her arms around him and dragged him into a hug.

Hermione was the first one to start laughing as Remus turned back to face the rest of them with Lily still hanging down his front. He looked baffled and slightly hopeful, as though he didn't believe what was happening.

"Told you she'd love you like we do." Hermione said, smiling at Remus.

When Lily had let go of Remus and everyone had resumed eating brunch, Lily turned to Hermione suddenly.

"Can you turn into an animal too?" She demanded.

"Not yet I can't." Hermione told her, realising that the fact that she had been keeping her education about becoming an Animagus from everyone but Sirius was a mistake. She was here to fix the things that happened to cause the future she was from and Mrs Potter was right. Keeping secrets was never a good idea. She couldn't tell them she was from the future, but she could tell them some things that she'd been keeping to herself.

"I have a secret to share with the family." Hermione announced, feeling slightly self conscious until Mr and Mrs Potter beamed at her.

"Well do tell Hermione. Otherwise Dorea will try to tickle it out of you for breaking the house rule." Mr Potter said jovially.

"I've been working with Albus to learn how to be an Animagus too."

"Why?" James asked, completely baffled. "Why didn't you just come to us? You've known for more than a month what we are. We can teach you."

Hermione grinned at him "Yes well, sometimes even I make mistakes" Hermione admitted, sneaking a glance at Sirius who was smirking at her smugly.

"You didn't tell Dumbledore what we are did you?" Peter squeaked.

"No. I kept that to myself, though I wouldn't be surprised if he knows anyway. But anyway, I've been reading up on it. Albus sent me a useful new book on it for Christmas, and when we get back to Hogwarts he's going to supervise while I try transforming for the first time."

Sirius raised his eyebrows at her.

"Why wait until then when you have three experts sitting right here?"

"Because I don't know what I'm going to turn into and I don't want to get stuck between forms." Hermione said "Did you guys know what you would turn into before you tried it? I think I read somewhere that some people turn into the same thing as their Patronus, but not always. And I know that drastic changes in someone's life can cause their Patronus to change."

"You can form a corporeal Patronus?" Peter asked incredulously.

"Yes, but don't sit there and look at me like that when you're an Animagus." Hermione said.

"Show us how?" Sirius asked.

"Right now? We're still eating."

"We can move this into the lounge room if you like. Though I've had enough anyway" Mrs Potter said.

Everyone else declared they were finished too and they all moved into the lounge room clearly deciding that the first thing on the agenda today was working on their magic.

Everyone else sat down and Hermione stood in the middle of the room. She smiled at her friends for a moment before she let her eyes slide closed and summoned up her happiest memories. When she had one in her mind hormone lifted her wand and opened her eyes.

"Expecto Patronum!" She cried and she flicked her wand.

White light poured from the end of her wand and Hermione watched it begin to take form, expecting to see the familiar little otter that her Patronus made. But that's not what Hermione saw. She remembered the time Tonks had told her that her patronus had changed form into a werewolf because she had fallen in love with Remus.

Hermione didn't know if it was because she seemed to have fallen in love with Sirius or because she had a new wand here or maybe because she'd been shot twenty years into the past, but her patronus had changed shape. Everyone in the room gasped as Hermione's Patronus took shape and Hermione stood baffled as the massive form of her new Patronus flew around the room.

Because her patronus wasn't a cute little otter anymore. Now Hermione's patronus was a dragon.

Closing her eyes again, Hermione let the magic go and watched the dragon disappear, slowly sinking down to perch on the coffee table in her shock.

"That was amazing Hermione." Lily cheered happily.

"What's wrong 'Mione?" Sirius asked her softly from his couch.

"Erm…. My Patronus has changed." Hermione said softly "It used to be an otter."

"Well you said yourself that sometimes they change Hermione, emotional upheaval is one of the most common causes and you've been through a massive ordeal recently." Mrs Potter said kindly.

"I suppose…." Hermione murmured "So what might this mean for what I might turn into as an Animagus?"

"I don't know." Seemed to be the consensus on that one.

"You could always try it and find out?" Lily suggested.

"Well I suppose, but now I feel like I should do it outside in case I turn into a dragon or something."

"Even if you do turn into a dragon I think you have enough room in here Hermione. But maybe we should move some of the furniture just in case." Mr Potter said.

Hermione chuckled when he pulled out his wand and waved it, causing the coffee table she sat on to tip her off onto her feet and then causing the couches James, Sirius, Remus, Peter and Lily were sitting on all to spring into the air and float over against the far wall.

"Um… I don't know how to do this. The practical part…" Hermione said.

"You should be able to get it Hermione. You're good at non-verbal magic and you can already do a different form of wandless magic. This seems like the same thing, only instead of trying to push the magic out from yourself you need to focus it inwards."

"But I need something to focus on. Like, when you turn into a dog you know you're turning into a dog so you can picture a dog and become one. I don't know what I'm going to turn into and I don't really want to turn into a dragon so I don't particularly want to focus on that."

"You said your old patronus was an otter right?" Peter said, Hermione nodded "So picture yourself turning into an otter or something else you'd like to turn into. It doesn't always work. I didn't want to turn into a rat, I pictured a lion the first few times I tried it but eventually it worked and I turned into a rat."

Hermione thought about that for a moment. The Peter from the future was sneaky like a rat. And Sirius had been loyal and James proud. Hermione wondered if maybe the animal form you took as an Animagus was an animal that represented traits you shared with that animal. Hermione thought about her traits. She was intelligent, adaptable, gentle, courageous and in this time had developed a certain cunning through her cleverness.

"Ok I'm going to try." Hermione said softly before she let her eyes slide closed. She focused on the traits she felt she possessed and the idea of being an animal that had those traits too. She could feel her fingers twitching as the magic inside her flared to life and sought to escape her body but Hermione held onto it even as she focused on animals and traits and she gasped when her whole body began to tingle.

It wasn't the type of tingle she felt when Sirius kissed her. This tingle was like the type of tingle you got when your foot went to sleep that kind that felt uncomfortable and made you feel like you were itchy but Hermione let it take over her whole body as she clenched her eyes closed tightly and focused on animals and traits and that tingle.

And suddenly Hermione felt like her body had begun to shrink. Her skin tingled even more until it felt like she was itchy all over. Hermione gasped as she felt her body shoot through the air towards the ground like she was falling even though her feet stayed beneath her. The feeling of falling had her throwing out her hands like she would catch herself. Her eyes flew open when she realised her hands were touching the ground though she hadn't fallen or bent over.

And when Hermione tried to open her mouth to ask her friends if it had worked the sound that came out was a strangled yelp.

Suddenly Hermione realised her nose looked different and as she went cross eyed to look at it she spotted a red and white furry snout with a little black nose twitching at the end of it and long white whiskers poking out on either side of her snout. Hermione spun trying to catch a glimpse of what she had become and she heard herself make a strange yipping sound as she saw dainty tapered front and back legs covered in reddish brown fur and Hermione stopped in her tracks when she caught sight of her tail.

She had a tail! A great big long bushy red tail with a black ring just before the white tip. And just like that Hermione knew what her Animagus form was. She was a red fox.

"Did you ever see a fox with a tail that bushy?" Mr Potter boomed as he leapt to his feet, dragging his wife up too and began to dance with her happily. The Marauders all cheered.

"Well done Hermione!" Lily shouted happily as she clapped and cheered. Hermione grinned, or tried to as a fox, and took off around the room. All three Marauders who were Animagi laughed at her as Hermione tripped over her own front paws because she suddenly needed to learn how to make four legs work together rather than two.

"It takes a while to get used to, but think of it like trying to run on your hands and knees and you'll get it." James told Hermione as she got to her feet and shook herself. Focusing on what he'd said Hermione tried again and this time she trotted a few steps with ease like she'd been running on four paws her whole life.

"She's a natural." Sirius declared happily. Hermione yipped at him as she trotted over to the couch and jumped up onto Sirius's lap.

Instead of sitting, Hermione poked him with her nose. Sirius laughed at her and Hermione tried again, whining in her throat as she tried to speak without thinking before tapping him with one of her front paws.

"What do you want?" Sirius asked her, confused. Hermione whined and pawed him against before jumping off him and then back on again.

"I think she wants you to transform too." Mrs Potter said slowly. Hermione sat down and nodded for a moment before she had an idea. It hadn't been that hard and everything she had read had been about precautions and danger of being an Animagus and Sirius's way of describing how to do it had been more beneficial than all the books she'd read on it.

Bounding off Sirius and over the couches Hermione climbed over Peter and James, stopping when she stood on Lily's lap before pawing at her and poking her the same way she had to Sirius.

"Hermione what? Are you trying to suggest I transform too? Because I don't know how. I've never read anything on it." Lily said.

Hermione whined at her and tried again. She was actually stuck like this at the moment but she didn't mind. It was fun running around as a fox.

Sirius caught on first when Hermione kept doing it over and over again.

"She's trying to tell you that it's not actually that hard. It takes a lot of concentration, but all the books tell you it's harder than it really is. I think she's trying to tell you to try it like she did." Hermione bounded off Lily and back to Sirius, licking his cheek.

He laughed at her as he caught hold of her.

"Mostly the books went on about all the other stuff like how it's dangerous if you run around like that and are mistaken for an animal. Like Hermione as a fox would be in danger in case a hunter saw her and thought she was a real fox." James said slowly. "But they never really summed up the transformation the way Sirius did before. Really you just focus on becoming an animal while calling on your magic the way you would to do a spell, except you lock it inside yourself and transform yourself instead of something else."

"I can't just try it. I don't know anything about it" Lily protested.

"Don't you want to be and Animagus like the rest of us?" James asked her, smiling at her sweetly.

"Well it would be fun…." Lily said.

"So try it. If it doesn't work you can always read about it and keep practising, and if you get stuck halfway or something we can fix you." James encouraged her.

Hermione yipped at her even as Sirius began trying to catch hold of her tail which she kept twitching out of his reach.

"You really think I could just get up and try it like Hermione did?" Lily asked them all.

"Lily, you and Hermione are the two smartest people in our year. Of course you can do it. Even Sirius managed it." James assured her.

"Yeah but Sirius is the best in the year at Transfiguration." Lily argued.

"And until Hermione came along you were second at it. Even me and Peter managed it. You can do it."

"Just try it Evans." Sirius said "Concentrate on becoming an animal. Picture yourself as one and summon up all you magic but lock it inside and focus on being an animal. GOT IT!" he cried gleefully as he managed to catch hold of Hermione's tail and proceeded to brush the bushy thing against his face.

Everyone laughed at him while Hermione spun around and caught his hand in her teeth. She didn't bite down, just showed him she could've if she wanted.

"Feisty one aren't you little Foxy Loxy?" Sirius grinned at her, still trailing the fluffy tip of her tail against his cheek.

Lily took a deep breath and got to her feet. Copying Hermione, Lily stood in the middle of the room and scrunched her eyes up tight. Hermione watched from Sirius's lap as Lily clenched her fists and heard the redhead whimper. Hermione suspected she must feel that itchy tingle because seconds later hair sprouted all over Lily even as her legs and arms shortened.

The next moment Lily Evans stood before them and Hermione gaped in shock. Not only had Lily managed it without any background research, but she had turned into something Hermione was not expecting. Hermione had thought that Lily would turn into a doe, creating the perfect counterpart to James being a stag. But Lily was a long way from being a doe. Her body was low to the ground and she had four short legs with wickedly sharp claws at the end of them her red tinged black and white hair was what gave her away as not being a regular animal.

"Why am I not really surprised that Evans turned into one of the angriest, scariest, fiercest animals known to nature?" Sirius laughed.

"She's a flipping Wolverine!" Peter exclaimed.

Lily froze as she realised it had worked. Hermione didn't though, she wiggled out of Sirius's grip and bounded over to Lily. Hermione was taller as a fox, but Lily's stocky wolverine body was built for toughness and power.

"I can't believe they both did it in one day." Peter grumbled. "It took us years!

"Yeah but they had great teachers while we had to wade through all the bollocks to work out how to do it on our own." Sirius countered.

A sudden thought occurred to Hermione. Now five out of the six of them could become animals at will. Remus unwillingly became a werewolf every full moon, but what if he could be an Animagus as well as a werewolf? Then they could all turn into animals at will and Hermione immediately realised how such a thing would be an incredible advantage in the future.

She'd already altered it today by having Lily become an Animagus. Why couldn't she alter it further and have Remus join them in this? Being a werewolf sucked for him, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he were an Animagus as well. She remembered studying the differences in DADA in third year, and even if Remus only managed to turn into the werewolf at will, maybe it would make the full moon easier on him if he could retain his consciousness as a human in a different form of shapeshifting. Surely it could work. His body was already used to turning into an animal. Every full moon he became a massive rabid wolf who could run like a human and had big shoulders and human-like forelegs.

Trotting slowly towards him Hermione leapt onto his lap and poked him with her nose before patting at him with her paws like she had to Lily.

"Hermione I can't do it too. I'm a werewolf" Remus told her, baffled by her behaviour.

"She must be stuck like that or she would explain what she wants. I can see a wicked gleam in her eyes like she gets at school when she's got an idea." James said from next to her.

"If you want to transform back just do what you did to turn into a fox 'Mione. Only do it in reverse, summon your magic and focus on being human again." Sirius told her from across the room.

Hermione jumped onto the floor and sat down before she tried. The same tingles took over her and Hermione gasped as she transformed back.

"Wow. That was amazing!" Hermione smiled when she realised she was human again.

"You did really well Hermione." Remus told her "What were you trying to tell me?"

"Well, I was thinking. It's not as hard as I thought it would be. You should become an Animagus too."

"But I'm already a werewolf." Remus said.

"Yes, and every month your body goes from human to animal. You should be better at this than all of us. I just thought maybe it might make your transformations less painful at the full moon if you could willingly turn into a wolf, since I assume that if you were an Animagus and a werewolf you would always turn into a wolf. Like, if you transform like we do and are already shaped as a wolf instead of a human maybe it won't hurt so much because you're body won't have to transform as much."

"Hey that's not a bad idea" Charlus said thoughtfully.

"I think that part of the reason it hurts you so much is because you fight the change." Hermione told him "You hate what you are and when the moon is full you fight to stay in control."

"How do you know so much about this?" Remus asked her softly.

"I knew a werewolf before I came here." Hermione said vaguely. "The point is, if you embrace the change instead of fighting it, maybe it won't hurt as much. And if you're an Animagus, the moon won't have to do all the work to transform you. You'd already do most of it and the only real change the moon would make would be to give you the werewolf shoulders and ability to run like a human. So that might still hurt a little, but nowhere near as much because you won't have to grow claws since you'll already have them."

"You really think that would work?" Sirius asked her doubtfully.

"It can't hurt to try it." Hermione said.

"If it will make it hurt less than I'll try anything." Remus muttered.

"Really Remus? What if there are complications? What if you lose control of yourself like you do at the full moon?" Dorea pointed out the flaws in their plan.

"We could try it in the tree house. If he's already locked up it won't matter if he loses control, but it's not the full moon so he should retain who he is." James said.

"Then let's go to the tree house." Hermione said eagerly. "Someone lead the way, I vote we get their via paws!" Hermione grinned happily before shutting her eyes and focusing on becoming a fox again.

"Gets easier every time doesn't it?" Sirius told her with a grin before he too transformed into a giant black dog.

Hermione yipped happily as she bounced around with Sirius and Lily as animals. Lily was still mastering walking since being a wolverine made her waddle as she walked. Hermione and Sirius raced around her in circles and Hermione had to work on her dexterity when Sirius started trying to catch her tail is his mouth.

James and Peter copied them, transforming into their animal forms as well, where James proceeded to trot over to Lily and nudge her with his hoof, toppling Lily over and earning himself a growl. Hermione noticed Remus watching the five of them his eyes clouding over with emotion as he gulped at the lump Hermione imagined forming in his throat.

"Mum…." Remus said softly as he looked at the Stag, Dog, Rat, Wolverine and Fox his best friends had transformed into "I have the most amazing family anyone could ever ask for."

"Oh Remus honey, you have no idea how much we all love you." Dorea Potter told the sandy haired werewolf as she wrapped her arms around his waist and they all began to walk towards the door to head for the treehouse.

HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB

Hermione smiled as they all transformed back into humans. But even as she did she watched the way Remus cringed slightly as he stepped inside the cage in this amazing tree house. Charlus looked grim as he bolted the lock and everyone moved back to the edges of the room just in case this plan backfired and Remus lost control.

"Remus…." Hermione murmured "I'm no expert or anything…. But you have to want this. You're already tensing up because the pain you experience in that cage is clouding your mind. Relax. Sit down in there and relax. Don't think about the werewolf at all. Just think of hanging out with all of us. You need to embrace the transformation and up until now you've feared and hated it."

Remus looked at her for a long time, golden eyes searching her face for answers as to how she knew all these things.

"No one's ever watched me transform before." Sirius murmured. "What if trying this brings out the werewolf without the moon and I get stuck like that until the next full moon?"

"It won't happen Remus. If anything like that were going to happen, the whole transformation just wouldn't work." Sirius assured him.

"Now close your eyes Remus." James murmured to his friend "Take deep breaths, and think about yourself becoming an animal. But when you think about an animal, think about a cute, calm, friendly one, like a squirrel. Focus your magic inside yourself. Don't let it out."

"It's ok Remus. This time there won't be any pain. This time your clothes will transform with you and when you open your eyes you'll still be you. You'll still know us and know how much we all love you." Hermione whispered.

"You can do it Remus." Lily whispered softly.

Hermione held her breath for a moment as Remus quivered.

"Don't tense at the tingling Remus, that means it's working. It won't hurt any more than the tingle. Think of the cute little squirrel. Be the squirrel!" Hermione told him making Sirius snort from beside her.

Everyone gasped when it happened.

Hermione had watched Remus transform into the real werewolf with no control in her third year and it had been a slow, painful looking process. But this time as Remus transformed it happened so fast that one second he was a human and the next he looked like a very large, very furry wolf. A blonde one.

"It worked." James breathed.

Until Hermione heard an awful sound. From within the cage the wolf growled menacingly.

"Oh no." Dorea buried her face in her hands and turned to huddle against her husband's chest. Charlus looked away too, clearly expecting Remus to turn savage as he lost control. Lily and the Marauders all buried their faces in their hands too.

But then the growling stopped and Hermione peered in at the wolf, who happened to be watching her. His yellow wolf eyes were fixed on Hermione and as Hermione stared at him she slowly stepped closer to the cage.

Because it had worked. It had really worked. Remus's soul glimmered in his eyes and when Hermione came close and pressed her face against the bars she watched a tears leak out of Remus's eye.

"That didn't hurt, did it?" Hermione smiled at him. Remus shook his wolfish head. Smiling gently Hermione pulled back the bolts that held Remus in his cage and pushed the door open.

"Hermione what are you doing?" Charlus gasped when he realised what she was doing.

"Hermione no! If he bites you, you'll be a werewolf too!" Sirius screeched.

But Hermione wasn't listening because as soon as she opened the cage the giant wolf inside it leapt up on its hind legs and Hermione caught Remus against her, stepping into him as he wrapped his front legs around her shoulders and rubbed his head against the side of hers.

Hermione smiled as she hugged Remus back in wolf form and stroked her hand down his back when he whimpered softly. She knew that if he were human he would be crying, like he'd begun to when she looked in at him through the bars.

"It's all ok. It worked just fine." Hermione murmured and she smiled when she felt Remus transform back. He didn't say a word, but when he squeezed her tightly and buried his face against her shoulder and sniffled softly, his body shaking hers as he sobbed silently, Hermione just held him tighter. She understood.

**Fox**- Shapeshifting, Cleverness, Observational Skills, Cunning, Stealth, Camouflage, Feminine Courage, Invisibility, Ability to Observe Unseen, Persistence, Gentleness, Swiftness, Diplomacy, Wildness, Adaptation, Slyness, Wisdom, Protection, Provider, Intelligence.

**Dragon**- Ancient Powers, Intelligence, Ferocity, Elemental Magic, Extra Power, Protection.

**Wolverine**- Revenge, Understanding Aggression, Protection Against Attackers, Multilevel Protection, Standing your Ground, Fierceness.


	19. Embracing the Madness Within

**Them Boys**

Chapter 19: Embracing the Madness Within.

Hermione smirked at her reflection in her bathroom mirror. Today classes resumed and Hermione and Lily had their own little mission for this term. Yesterday morning before they had all packed their trunks and come back to Hogwarts, Mrs Potter had pulled both of them aside and gifted them each a copy of a book that her mother had given her. It was a lot like the book Hermione had bought in London with Lily about the art of seduction, but instead of only speaking to ways in which to draw a lover to you, these books had a broader range of information on the subject.

_A Woman's Feminine Wiles _ was the name of it and as Hermione and Lily had thumbed through it they had learned a great many things about how to become the type of woman who commands attention upon entering a room. The type of woman who can stop a man in his tacks with just a glance. They had learned that there was far more to it than just selective clothing. It was an art form that had once been learned by women the world over.

Mrs Potter had informed them both that in the olden days it had been a man's world and women were expected merely to be seen and not heard. They were expected to look beautiful at all times, never be seen alone with a man who was not their husband, and sit pretty and silent while Men dominated the world. Mrs Potter had smiled when she told them that there had come a time that women grew tired of being nothing but beautiful wall flowers, a time when they wanted to have more power than just that of their husband and they had found a way that would not have them cast out of their homes and marriages, but would also achieve them a greater opinion in the eyes of their husbands.

Hermione had learned overnight that it was more than just clothing. It was a physical presence that she must carry with her. That she must carry herself in such a way that showed she was mature and to be taken seriously, that she had self confidence and a core of steel. All of this was tempered with a softness that only a woman can possess. She'd gotten up extra early this morning so that she could work on her new look, not just her physical appearance but her presence and the way she carried her body. It had to be sensual yet strong, soft yet powerful.

Hermione wasn't sure she had managed it entirely but she felt she was well on the way to succeeding at it with a little practice. She and Lily had also gotten together yesterday to discuss the new way they would wear their uniform. In the past both Hermione and Lily had worn their school skirts long, well beyond the knee, with dark stocking and sensible, comfortable shoes. But last night that had both magically altered the length of their skirts. However Hermione had made sure, upon instruction from the book Mrs Potter had given her, that there was nothing inappropriate about the new length. It was not so short as to be seen as tarty or break the rules, but it was no longer just a loose hanging drapery of fabric around them either.

Taking one last glance in the mirror at her loose long hair and her eyes that twinkled from beneath her thick fringe as though she had a secret, Hermione adjusted her bag on her shoulder and her gloss covered lips smiled sensually back at her. Lily was waiting for her in the common room when Hermione came downstairs and they shared a secretive smile as they heard the Marauders laughing from the boys stairs. They spilled into the common room in a handsome mess, chuckling wickedly as they planned out the prank they would play on the Slytherins today and Hermione felt herself smirk just a little wider when all four boys stopped suddenly as they caught sight of the girls.

Hermione wondered how different she and Lily must look to usual that the boys were quite literally gobsmacked to see them. Peter was staring at them with his mouth hanging open and Remus was watching them with an intrigued gleam in his eyes. James's eyes were fixed on Lily and they roved over her like he was dying to touch her with his hands the way he did with his eyes. But Hermione couldn't keep her eyes off Sirius.

His shoulder length black hair was wavy and still damp from his shower, his tie was loose around his neck beneath his Gryffindor jumper in spite of it being morning. His blue eyes were fixed on Hermione and his mouth even though it was open slightly in shock, still turned up at the corners. His eyes glittered with desire as he stared at Hermione and Hermione couldn't keep from smirking wickedly at him as she thought about the motorcycle ride they'd taken the other day.

Sirius had doubled her all the way into London where he insisted that he be allowed to buy her a hot chocolate. They'd spent half the day alone together in London and when they'd gotten back to Potter Manor, Sirius had parked his bike in the little shed so they cold both get back off it. There in the darkness of the shed he had pulled Hermione close and kissed her again the way he had at New Years Eve that made her tingle all over and made her want to kiss him passionately.

They hadn't spoken about it again since then, and Hermione wasn't really sure what was going on with her and Sirius. After all, she'd woken him on New Years Day he had invited her into bed with him and Hermione knew that the kissing they had done then as they teased and tormented each other was a whole lot more significant than just a kiss between friends. And then she'd kissed him again that afternoon so now Hermione had no idea if he fancied her or was still just having fun trying to get her into bed with him.

As she watched him Hermione couldn't help thinking that for now it would be best if she just kept on playing the coy little game they were playing as she tried all of his tricks on him that so made girls fall in love with him. Maybe with the help of the little books she'd been reading she could make him fall for her instead of just wanting to get into her knickers.

"Should we get some breakfast? I'm starving." Hermione said, trying to hold in her giggle as she turned to Lily. Lily looked ready to giggle too but she played the part she knew she must; that of the aloof, alluring woman.

"Oh do let's." she chirped happily back to Hermione without acknowledging the boys any further. Hermione winked at her as Lily looped her arm through hers and they both turned and headed for the Great Hall with the boys trailing along behind them. On the way they chatted about homework and classes and an appropriate name for their little gatherings of Magical Exploration.

"Hey I know, why don't we call it ME?" Lily suggested suddenly as they all sat down at Gryffindor table.

"Me? Or You? You want to call it Evans?" Sirius asked confusedly.

"No, I mean ME like M.E. Hermione just referred to it as Magical Exploration and that really is what we're doing. We're exploring obscure forms of magic, including some of the dark magics and exploring our own abilities. I think it's perfect. Magical Exploration, ME for short."

"It is nice and easy to say when it's shortened." Hermione smiled as Sirius dropped into the seat next to her "Does anyone else have a better idea?" Everyone shook their heads as they dug into their breakfast.

"I need to talk to you." Sirius leaned close and muttered into Hermione's ear.

"Keepings secrets is no good for anyone Sirius," Hermione told him.

I'm well aware of that oh She-of-the-forked-tongue. But I need to talk to you about the fact that three quarters of the school already knows that you told my dear mother that you were pregnant. They're likely to be whispering about it all day." Sirius shot back at her.

Hermione turned to look at him and found the blue eyed boy looking at her worriedly. "Oh Sirius it's sweet of you to be concerned, but I can assure you that this is not the first time in my life that the entire school as thought I was an awful person and have hated me for untrue rumours. You don't need to be worried." Hermione smiled at him reassuringly.

"But what are we telling them?" Sirius murmured, his eyes scanning her face.

"What do you mean what are we telling them? I'm not actually pregnant and since your dad will have told your Mum by now that I'm not, there is really no need to pretend that I'm pregnant when I'm not." Hermione said, startled by his question.

Sirius looked uncomfortable for a minute as though he wanted to tell her something about the whole conversation, but didn't want to in front of the rest of their friends.

"You look adorable when you frown like that." Hermione told him softly, launching into a renewed match of their seduction game. Slowly Hermione reached out and ran her fingers through a lock of his wavy black hair, letting the backs of her fingers brush against his cheek.

Sirius's eyes darted to Hermione's face at her tone and at the bold touch and he found her smirking wickedly and realised that in spite of everything that had happened between them over the Christmas break, Hermione was still playing hard to get. Hermione watched Sirius realise that and watched the way he frowned at her for a second before that familiar heart breaker smile of his was back on his handsome face.

She jumped when she felt his hand slide across her thigh but Hermione pretended she didn't notice it as a girl in Hufflepuff robes who looked like a seventh year strode up to their table behind Remus and Peter and glared down at Hermione. She had glossy brown hair that hung down her back like a curtain and a pinched expression.

"Black I heard you knocked up the French girl." She sneered angrily as she kept on staring daggers at Hermione.

"I heard you shagged Snivellus" Sirius countered to the girl breezily around a mouthful of bacon.

"I did not!" She screeched indignantly "Who told you that?"

Sirius just outright laughed at her indignation and his hand never left Hermione's thigh.

"Should we really believe everything we hear Boyd?" James threw the question at the girl in such a tone condescending tone that Hermione suddenly remembered Harry once fretting to her last year about how it seemed like his Dad had been a bit arrogant in school. And right now James Potter sounding incredibly arrogant and looked haughty as he glared at the girl pityingly. "Or should we take everything we hear with a grain of salt?"

"From what I heard it was the two of you who admitted it to your mother Black."

"Was it?" Hermione asked mildly, eyeing the girl with distaste.

Realising that they weren't going to talk to her again when they all resumed eating, the girl – Boyd - stomped off, muttering about arrogant jerks and French tarts.

"Well that was an interesting way to start the morning." Lily said, trying to lighten the mood as she realised that James was less than pleased to have anyone falsely accusing his friends of things.

"To be fair, I did bring this on both of us." Hermione said thoughtfully "So I'm sorry that you're going to be on the receiving end of a lot of negative press Sirius. I ought to think more before I speak."

Sirius quirked an eyebrow at her apology.

"It was worth it to see that look on my mother's face 'Mione." He told her happily, his hand sliding up and down her thigh lightly.

"We should get to class. We have Care of Magical Creatures and today is a theory lesson on the seventh floor." Remus said to the group when everyone went back to eating.

"If I'd known that I would've stopped at the kitchens for breakfast instead of coming all the way down here." James grumbled, rumpling his messy black hair irritably.

"The kitchens?" Lily asked curiously "You know where the kitchens are?" then she rolled her eyes at herself "Of course you know where the kitchens are. You know everything about Hogwarts and how else would you get all that food to the parties in the common room when Gryffindor wins Quidditch?"

"I'll take you there sometime." James promised Lily, his hazel eyes twinkling with happiness as he looked at Lily. When everyone got to their feet and started walking out of the Hall, James offered Lily his hand to hold and Hermione smiled when she watched Lily blush before slipping her hand inside and letting her fingers intertwine with James's.

But Hermione stopped smiling when she looked up to the door into the Entrance Hall and saw Severus Snape with his greasy long hair and hooked nose and dreadful pallid skin positively glowering in disgust at the couples intertwined hands. Hermione watched him jerk his wand out of his pocket, noticing the white knuckled grip he had on it as he silently jabbed it with such force that Hermione was surprised the tense air around him didn't puncture.

"No you don't Snivellus!" Sirius hissed, flashing up a Shield Charm between Snape and the happily oblivious couple. With another twirl of his wrist Snape was suddenly hanging in the air by his ankle with his Slytherin robes hanging down beneath him.

"I see you didn't get given any shampoo for Christmas Snivellus. In fact I think your hair is the greasiest it's ever been. It's offensive that you don't wash" Sirius sneered at his victim.

"I'll kill all of you for this!" Snape hissed angrily.

"No you won't Severus" she spoke quietly but Hermione noticed the way everyone in the vicinity that had stopped to watch the daily humiliation of Snape, turned towards her at her tone "Severus Snape you will do nothing of the sort. You provoked this duel because you have poor control on your anger and no regard for anything but your own jealousy and wounded pride. Do not make idle threats and start things you can't finish."

Silently Hermione flicked her wand, releasing Snape from the curse and wincing slightly when he landed in an ungraceful heap. The string of insults, swear words and curses that rushed out of Snape's mouth made Hermione blush. Snape leapt to his feet, dark eyes searching for another opponent and failing to keep from narrowing in disgust at seeing James and Lily's entwined fingers.

"Seems that you did need me to tell you that Potter's an arrogant, useless toe-rag with an inflated head. How could you let _him_ touch you?" He hissed at Lily who flinched at the attack.

Hermione didn't know which of the Marauders hit Snape with the gagging jinx but he choked on his tongue just as he opened his mouth to spit more unsanitary words at Lily. In spite of the silence Snape managed to hit James with a particularly nasty curse that appeared to electrocute James, and then electrocuted Lily by extension because she was holding James's hand. Hermione saw Snape wince just the tiniest bit when Lily screamed from the curse which must have hurt since it made her sleek red hair stand on end suddenly like a fiery untamed lion's mane. James's hair stood on end too and his metal framed glasses zapped nasty electrical burns against James's face before they shot off his face.

Remus leapt to hit them both with a counter curse while Sirius hit Snape with a spell they had found in the book Hermione had picked up in the Potter's library. It was also a malicious curse which caused boils and scabby sores to spread over Snape's whole body, many of them bursting and weeping blood and pus.

Snape silently retaliated with a jinx that made Sirius's hair and eyebrows start to grow at an alarming rate so that within a matter of seconds Sirius couldn't even see.

At that point Hermione grew tired of their rule breaking and childishness. What was it with Snape that he just didn't know when to quit?

"ENOUGH!" She roared immobilising everyone. As soon as everyone was frozen Hermione hit Sirius with a counter curse to stop his eyebrows growing since they were now past his chin and his shoulder length hair now hung to his lower back. Remus had managed to stop Lily and Remus from crackling and shaking by eliminating the electricity inside them.

"You know Snape" Hermione began in that same soft voice that rang with authority and irritation "It seems to me that you are nothing but a pathetic, jealous little boy with nobody to love him. And I must say, I think you're looking for love in all the wrong places. Following James and Sirius around won't make anyone love you. Delving so deeply into the dark arts that you would use that _Electricexcusso _curse on another student certainly won't earn you love. Calling the only real friend you had a Mudblood certainly didn't win you her love. Now maybe if you'd been more reasonable in life, less prone to such fascination with evil and explosive temper tantrums, and maybe if you'd told Lily sooner how you feel about her instead of fixating on James, you might have had a chance to win her heart. But everything you do now just makes her dislike you even more. Soon she'll hate you because you can't see beyond your childish obsession with James Potter. Maybe you ought to confess your love to him instead. You'd have about as much chance of having your affections returned."

With that Hermione stopped speaking, knowing it wasn't right to say so much in front of all the gathered students who were once again watching Snape be humiliated. She'd said too much, but the greasy haired by who had once been her Potions Professor really needed to get a clue and stop starting duels with the Marauders since he always ended up humiliated.

There was something else about him that was bugging her and before Hermione released them all from their temporary immobilisation, she aimed her wand right at Snape, whose eyes glittered with rage as he death stared her. Hermione pretended not to see the hatred that boiled within him as she murmured a soft spell to cure him of his most picked on and no doubt hated imperfection.

With a flick of her wand Hermione watched her spell curl towards Snape and wrap around his head. His eyes showed his shock when the spell didn't hurt him at all and Hermione tried to offer him a kind smile to convey that she meant him no harm. She had spent far too long during her own schooling being picked on for her physical imperfections. She'd always detested her frizzy, bushy hair and her buck teeth and Hermione knew that in his heart Snape would hate himself just as much for his own greasy hair that earned him cruel names such as "Slime ball". And Hermione had happened upon a book in her fourth year that told of how to remedy all kinds of bad hair and beauty imperfections.

Even as the spell she'd hit him with delved into the skin of Snape's scalp and cured him of the greasiness he so often sported Hermione released everyone and summoned James's glasses from where they had fallen to the ground after they shot off his face. As she caught them, Hermione lifted up examining the shattered lenses before repairing them and handing them back to James.

James opened his mouth to shout something at Snape but Hermione clapped her hand over his mouth.

"James Potter if you say one word to him, _I'm_ going to electrocute you. Now since this childishness has made us all late for class I recommend we get going before anyone gets a detention and without anymore duelling!" She snapped angrily before storming off towards the stairwell that would lead to their seventh floor class. People cleared a path for her as she went and Hermione ignored the whispers of her peers about her supposedly being pregnant and her standing up for Snape while seeming to tear him down and for her incredible magical ability, but Hermione blocked them all out. She resorted to tactics she had learned so well in fourth year when Rita Skeeter had written such awful lies about her, sticking her nose in the air and focusing on her school work more than anything else.

HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB/HG/SB

Three weeks later Hermione had finally begun to live down the rumours about her being pregnant. Things weren't helped by the close relationship she shared with Sirius, who seemed to have decided after their kissing and other touching during the break that he was now free to touch her whenever he liked. Hermione didn't mind. She had fallen hard for the charming black haired boy and there was a part of her that just wanted to come out and tell him how she felt.

But she kept that secret to herself, believing that if Sirius were to find out how much Hermione fancied him, he would sweet talk her into bed with him and then he would get bored and move on to someone else.

The tricks she and Lily had been learning about talking and acting like a desirable yet unavailable woman were proving particular effective in gaining them the attention of the entire school. There wasn't a student within Hogwarts who didn't know the names Hermione Peverell or Lily Evans and Hermione often enjoyed the guilty pleasure of having boys stop mid conversation or stop walking with just a sensual glance from them. There was no one she liked to do it to as much as she liked interrupting Sirius that way.

Just when he would be in the middle of a conversation with someone or trying to answer a question in class when called upon, Hermione would glance up at him, her eyes twinkling with a secret and her mouth poised as though begging to be kissed. The times when she did it to Sirius, she also let heat and desire for him glitter in her sensual gaze. Hermione loved to watch him flounder for just a moment within his mind as he lost his train of thought or forgot what he was saying with just a look from her.

"I still don't think you and Evans should come with us tonight." Sirius hissed at her from where he stood at his cauldron down the bench from her. Hermione rolled her eyes. The full moon was tonight and Hermione and Lily were both looking forward to a chance to run around in their Animagus forms with the boys and Remus as he transformed into a werewolf. But when they had broached the subject with the boys last night, all four had adamantly insisted that the girls weren't allowed to come with them and run around with a werewolf on the full moon.

Hermione knew it was mostly because they were being stubborn, hard headed boys who thought that she and Lily were too fragile to run around with a werewolf. They didn't think it was safe, as though the girls would be more at risk than they were. They had even argued that the animagus forms that Lily and Hermione took were inappropriate to spend time with a werewolf because a badger was a naturally aggressive creature which the werewolf would respond to, and the fox would be viewed as prey. Hermione had argued that a dog was just as much competition as a badger, and that a stag was ideal prey for a hungry werewolf. Peter as a rat could easily find hiding places from the werewolf and the other two were both big animals that could fight off the werewolf. They argued that a badger was too big to hide and too small to fight. Which was ridiculous since Badgers were known for being vicious fighters able to drive mountain lions and bears away from a kill. Lily was also an aggressive personality when incensed and Hermione believed she would be able to fight off a werewolf just fine.

They were still at a standoff since Remus was reluctant to allow it even though he was touched that they wanted to help him. Hermione knew that his reasons stemmed from fear that he would hurt her or Lily the way he had hurt Sirius. Sirius had even showed Lily his scars as an argument point of why the girls shouldn't be allowed.

"That's not really your decision to make Sirius." Hermione told him.

"The hell it's not" Sirius snapped at her, glaring at her through the steam that was coming of his potion. His eyebrows were back to normal and he'd let Hermione cut off some of his hair after Snape's attack though now it hung mid-way down his back rather than to his shoulders and Hermione couldn't help but be reminded of the first time she had seen his when it hung to the tips of his elbows. "I'm not letting you risk getting hurt like I did. No way am I letting you take the risk since it won't just effect you but Remus too if he hurts you."

Remus was on her other side and he was once again tense and grumpy and seemed to be fighting for control since the full moon was tonight.

"Hermione I don't think it's a good idea. It's not just fear of hurting either of you or having you see me like that. I'm not sure it would be safe for you. Specifically you Hermione." Remus murmured to her as he came up next to her and pretended he was borrowing her silver knife which he obviously couldn't touch today.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked him softly, glancing up at him as he lingered by her side. Remus's golden brown eyes flickered between their human colour and colour of the werewolf's eyes as he stared down at her.

"He likes you Hermione. And I'm not entirely certain what kind of like it is." Remus murmured. After Hermione had admitted to knowing about Remus being a werewolf, Remus had apologised to her again for the kiss he'd stolen from her explaining that his condition during adolescence was even harder to control because as well as the werewolf rage, there was also regular teenage hormones running around inside him and when the two combined they made him do strange things.

"I have a habit of attacking you Hermione" Remus told her softly "First when I kissed you and again when I chased you."

"That wasn't you Remus. That was the Werewolf." Hermione argued softly.

"We're one and the same Hermione. I don't want you to be there when I turn into the werewolf because I don't want to attack you again. As a fox you won't get the curse, but I could kill you so easily."

"You're not the same Remus. You and the werewolf are different entities, that's why you black out at the full moon. You're two beings sharing one body. You won't hurt me. I'm quick as fox and the others will all be there to rescue me if I need it." Hermione told him.

"You really want Sirius to have to rescue you from me again?" Remus growled. Hermione went cold at the question and at the thought. He'd almost died last time. Sirius had almost died saving her. She couldn't ask that of him again, nor of James or Lily or Peter. But she also couldn't sit inside by herself while they all did something together.

"Remus do you trust me?" Hermione asked him.

The eyes of the wolf stared back at her but Remus nodded.

"Both of you?" She pushed.

"The wolf doesn't trust anyone. He just hates." Remus said bitterly.

Hermione knew that was probably true.

"Then I need you trust me when I tell you that I want what is best for you. That I'm strong enough and fast enough to be there tonight. You won't hurt me or anyone else." Hermione took a deep breath as she stared into the eyes of the werewolf who was rumbling verysoftly as he growled at being told what to do.

"Remus, do you remember a few weeks ago at ME when I said that another reason I really wanted all of us to be doing the magical exploration and to not have secrets from each other?" She waited for him to nod "Sweetie, I know this one isn't about secrets, but it's about trust. I really feel that if the six of us are going to survive everything that is thrown our way, we need to trust each other beyond anything else. We need to trust that no matter what happens, we'll always all be there for each other, always trust each other, always love each other. And we've been making great progress, but I really feel that tonight and every other full moon you live through needs to be spent with us there to help you. The wolf inside you needs to know us and trust us and love us."

Remus watched her for several long moments as Hermione peered up at him and he looked sad.

"Hermione, he just hates. He doesn't know how to trust or love. When he takes over I don't remember who I am anymore. I don't have any control. I don't know you or James or Sirius or Peter or Lily. I don't know my parents. I don't know anything but bloodlust and rage and loneliness. When I wake up I have no idea where I am or how I got there. How can the wolf trust you when I can't even trust him?"

"But he does trust us mate" Sirius interrupted softly "When we all come into the shack with you as a werewolf you don't attack us. Maybe because we're animals and werewolves are driven to hate humans, but you don't attack us."

"I attacked you!" Remus growls "I almost killed you. How can you argue I don't attack when I did?"

"Remus…." Hermione began thoughtfully as her mind began to unravel possibilities "I really think that after this class we all need to get together, some place safe where no one will overhear us or interrupt us. I think you and me need to have a little talk about a whole lot of things. Can we postpone this discussion until then? Class will be over in ten minutes."

"What's going on in that head Hermione?" James asked her from across the work bench, smiling a little when he noticed the gleam in her eyes that he'd come to know meant she had an idea. Hermione just winked at him and went back to stirring her potion.

When the class was over Hermione bottled up some of her potion and labelled it before taking it to Slughorn's desk. Everyone else was doing the same and Hermione cleaned her work station with a wave of her wand. She had just packed her last book into her bag and was intending to follow Sirius and the others out of the dungeon when her bag split open as she swung it up onto her shoulder.

"Oh no." Hermione groaned as Sirius and all of her friends disappeared out of the dungeon without her. Hermione looked down at the mess at her feet. Her text books and parchment were everywhere and they were covered in ink from one of the smashed ink pots. Hermione grumbled to herself as she stooped down to gather up her things, pulling out her wand to repair her bag and then get the ink off her textbooks and parchment.

"Just a little know-it-all aren't you?" A soft voice hissed from above her as Hermione flicked her wand trying out a neat little spell she had read about that lifted the ink out of her parchment and off her things and magically siphoned it into the ink pot she had repaired.

"Excuse me?" Hermione shot to her feet, her wand trained on the face of the speaker.

Severus Snape loomed over her and Hermione wondered how he had gotten so close to her without her noticing since he stood less than a meter from her, glaring down at her. He curled his lip at her, whipping out his own wand just as quickly when he saw her narrow her eyes at him.

"What do you want?" Hermione demanded.

"Why would I want anything from a pathetic little know-it-all?" Snape spat back.

"Why else would you talk to me?" Hermione shrugged, then her eyes narrowed further as she realised they were the only two left in the dungeon. "You made my bag split open didn't you?"

Snape smiled evilly and Hermione knew that he had.

"Had to get you away from the egotistical pillocks somehow."

"Why?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"What did you do to me?" Snape asked her with a vague motion towards his head without answering her question.

"You mean the spell I hit you with the other day?" Hermione inquired.

Snape nodded his head. Hermione eyed his hair and was pleased to see that the spell she'd done had worked, his hair was no longer greasy and Hermione also noticed that some of the pimples and acne he'd sported had cleared up too. Though whether that was from the spell or from the disappearance of his greasy hair it was hard to tell. Hermione couldn't help the slight smug feeling she felt to see that with clean hair and clean skin Snape was far less unappealing to look at, though he still had his long hooked nose and terribly pale skin.

"I would think the answer to that is rather obvious Snape." Hermione said, still eyeing his clean complexion and now clean hair. Without it being greasy it was a rich shade of black that looked almost silky.

"Just tell me exactly what it was supposed to do?" Snape demanded.

Hermione sighed "I have no idea how to tell you what it did without offending you. But I noticed that one of the favoured insults that are thrown at you derides… well… I suppose referred to the fact that you had greasy hair, making you appear…. Well I believe the word 'slimy' has been used before." Hermione bit her lip as she watched Snape's eyes flash angrily at the words greasy and slimy.

Snape just kept on glaring at her, clearly still waiting for an answer.

"Look Snape, let's just say that I knew what it was like to be picked on for my hair, something I couldn't do anything about since I assume that six years of teasing would've made you try almost everything to relieve your bully's of their ammunition. Once upon a time my hair was thick and bushy and completely out of control but I found a book filled with spells that fixed all kinds of beauty ailments and fixed it. I thought that since you were picked on for your hair too, I would make your life a little easier since I knew how to fix it so you wouldn't be teased for it anymore."

"I don't want your pity!" he hissed, his black eyes glaring his hatred down at her.

"It wasn't pity that aimed my wand Snape. It was empathy. I've been picked on for things beyond my control, things about my appearance or who I am and where I come from. I knew how to help you and I knew you would never willingly accept my help. So I took the liberty of helping you without your permission. I can probably reverse the spells if you want your hair to be oily again, but you look nicer this way."

If Hermione hadn't been watching him so closely, expecting an attack, she might have missed the shock that crossed Snape's face. But Hermione saw it and she knew enough about the boy in front of her who had once been her bitter, nasty potions professor, to know that while he would never admit to it, he was shocked and secretly pleased by what Hermione had done.

"What else did your spell do?"

"Nothing that I know of, it was specifically designed for hair, though it may have effected your complexion slightly as well," Hermione told him.

"No, that's not all. It's been messing with my head, interrupting my thoughts, making me think strange things." Snape argued with her, his voice sneering at her.

Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"I can assure you that's not the case Snape. That spell does nothing more that eliminate the oiliness from your hair. Anything out of the ordinary inside your head isn't caused by a spell unless one of your classmates hit you with something. But none of my friends hit you with a spell to meddle around in your mind."

Snape looked like he didn't believe her and that angry expression took over his features once more as he hid his worry about whatever was going on inside his head. Hermione bent back down and shoved everything back into her bag and swung it back onto her shoulder.

As she walked away Snape had begun to pace in the darkness of the deserted dungeon classroom.

"Snape?" Hermione called softly over her shoulder as she got to the door. Snape spun towards her, his wand raised again "I know you hate me and my friends, especially after the duel we had at Hogsmede before Christmas, but if you ever decide you're tired of having people torment you about your nose…. Well, I know a spell that can fix that too." Hermione stopped again after a few more steps and stuck her head back around the door.

"By the way, You're welcome."

As she walked away Hermione could help but hope that maybe she could do something to remedy some for the damage that had been done between Snape at the rest of the world by helping him this way. Hermione suspected that within Slytherin common courtesy and a friendly act without strings attached, were all but impossible to come by and that the only real friend Snape had ever had was Lily Evans. And since being in Slytherin seemed hazardous to the moral compass, Snape had lost that friendship in order to keep from being picked on any more by his house mates. Maybe this little act of kindness would help him realise that not everyone in the world was awful and mean.

Hermione made her way to the common room where she found her friends lounging around the fire.

"Where've you been?" Sirius asked her when he saw her come in through the portrait hole.

"Erm, my bag split when I picked it up and made an awful mess." Hermione said, trying to keep from blushing. She didn't want to tell them she'd been cornered by Snape since none of her friends knew that the spell she'd hit Snape with weeks ago had made him less greasy.

"Everything ok now?" James asked her, raising his eyebrows sympathetically. Hermione smiled at him and nodded, wondering how it was that from many different accounts in her old life, James had been called arrogant and conceited and was supposed to have an air of being a spoiled boy loved by all. In this time James didn't seem incredibly arrogant, he was sometimes, but not anywhere near as much as Hermione had expected him to be.

Hermione pondered that for a moment as she looked at him and she began to wonder about things. In the time she'd known, Sirius had detested both of his parents and had only moved in with the Potters in sixth year after a fight with his mother got him disowned. However in this time he'd all but lived with the Potters since he was eleven years old and so had Remus since second year. James seemed to be less arrogant and spoiled because of it, which Hermione supposed was a good thing, but she couldn't help wondering if perhaps the changes in this time to her own were foretelling of something else.

After all, if she had just been shot back in time by twenty years, absolutely everything should be exactly the same. Yet there were several things that were different. Could she have altered the entire timeline of life by messing with time so severely? When she had used the Time-Turner in her third year, she'd been cautioned that playing with time was incredibly dangerous. She'd always thought it was just because the idea of being caught or running into yourself had sometimes dire consequences and several wizards had gone mad who'd run into themselves while playing with time. The them who was reliving time understood what was going on, but the them that lived the hour originally went mad in spite of knowing of time travelling devices, and as such the past version growing mad caused the present version to become mad as well.

But could it be because the magical interruption in the time continuum tampered with the events within that time?

In going back in time it was obviously very easy to manipulate events, as Hermione and Harry had done in their third year to save Buckbeak the Hippogriff and Sirius from death. Could it be possible that being sent back so far in time, Hermione had inadvertently and unknowingly altered the past simply through the magical rift she had created when she accidently flung herself back here?

"Hermione are you sure you're alright?" Lily Evans asked her softly when Hermione kept on staring at James, though she didn't appear to actually see him.

"Didn't you have some exciting new idea to share with us?" Remus asked her.

Hermione blinked rapidly as she refocused on the teenagers around her. The people who played such vital roles in the life she had known and now were her very best friends. They were her family. They were the only people she had in the world besides Albus Dumbledore and Hermione looked at each of them, feeling a swell of emotion. She had to do whatever she could to save them. And Hermione realised suddenly that she had read somewhere in one of her history book in her old life, that the first wizarding war had seemed to begin around 1970 and it was now 1977 and yet Voldemort seemed to be flying under the radar.

Could it be that the timeline for the war had also been altered? Could it simply not have built as high yet, or could it be that the evil Voldemort and his army of followers were, in fact, out there right now committing heinous deeds in such a way that suspicion stayed off them?

Dorea Potter had told Hermione that Voldemort often gave charismatic speeches as he drew in a further following and worded it in such a way that it seemed more like he was striving towards an idea but would never actually commit evil in order to reach his goal of the world becoming a place free of muggles and muggleborns. Hermione wondered if she ought to see Dumbledore again and tell him everything she knew. She could save many more lives if she did. After all, while Harry might have remained woefully ignorant of all the information about Voldemort and the First Wizarding War and almost everything about magic excluding that which he was forced to learn in class, Hermione had learned anything and everything she could get her hands on about Voldemort and the war and the many forms of magic. She was herself almost a walking text book of information since she possessed the ability to soak up knowledge like a sponge and she very rarely forgot anything.

Her parents had had her tested as a child and discovered that she possessed something akin to a photographic memory. She couldn't exactly picture every page of a textbook in her mind and read it inside her head, but she could recall a fact as long as she had read it somewhere once before. There were many lives she knew had been lost in her old time and Hermione wondered if there was anything she could do to circumvent the deaths of many people, including those of the friends standing in front of her.

Hermione let her eyes refocus, this time on Sirius and her heart gave a painful throb within her chest. She was in love with the long haired boy and the very idea of not having him around to crack jokes and laugh with and flirt with physically hurt Hermione in a way she hadn't thought she would feel since she had accepted that she would never know Harry and Ron as she had.

Yes. She knew that if there was anything at all she could do to save the people who had died in the first war during her time, she would do it. After this evening Hermione would need to speak to Dumbledore. To tell him everything she knew in order to give the good side the upper hand since everyone else besides Dumbledore seemed only mildly worried about the threat Voldemort posed. Because Hermione was not going to suffer through the loss of any more of her friend or anymore of the heart ache that came with missing the boy she loved.

"What's wrong 'Mione?" Sirius murmured as he watched Hermione lower lip tremble slightly before she bit down on it and squared her shoulders resolutely. Hermione smiled at Sirius.

"Sorry, I'm just so caught up in this idea and I'm dying to blurt it all out to you all, but it's not exactly a safe idea to discuss the furry little problem where we might be overheard."

Remus snorted at that.

"Well then lead on so you can tell us all what's got you so preoccupied Hermione" Remus told her waving towards the portrait hole as he got to his feet and offered Peter a hand up.

Hermione practically ran to the rarely used classroom there on the seventh floor in her excitement to tell her friends about her plan and her ideas. When they were all inside Hermione left them to transfiguring desks into armchairs while she locked the door, seal it shut with a silencing spell and a ward to keep anyone from trying to get into the room no matter what happened in here.

"Well don't keep us in suspense Hermione what's this big idea you have?" Lily asked when Hermione turned to smile at all five of her friends.

"Ok, so I know we've all been a little divided on the idea of me a Lily coming tonight." Hermione began "And I think I know the arguments for both sides. The boys feel it's unsafe and Remus doesn't want to scare me and Lily and our animagus forms are a little more difficult to manoeuvre if Remus does go for either of us as the werewolf. Us girls think that we'll be just fine and that nothing will go wrong and that it's unfair for us to be kept out of the fun to be had tonight when we're animagi too. Even if we will be breaking a whole bunch of school rules and the trouble we would get into is beyond imagining."

Hermione paused to take a breath and she could see all of her friends nodding along that the arguments were correct for both parties.

"When we were talking in the dungeons, Remus you mentioned that you don't feel that you can trust the wolf inside you not to attack us because all the wolf knows is hate. That you lose control of who you are and the rage and hunger and bloodlust of the wolf takes over." Hermione said, now directing her words to Remus who was lounging in a brown armchair and looking pale.

"From what I understand of the werewolf curse, at the full moon you are forced to transform from wizard to werewolf and during that process you lose touch with your humanity and don't remember anything of who you are or who your friends are. Is that correct?" Hermione asked him.

Remus gave a harp nod, his lips in a thin line as he was clearly uncomfortable to be discussing this.

"Is it also correct that you fear the change not only because of how painful it is, but precisely because you lose control and wake up alone and naked. Because you lose who you are as the wolf takes over and the rage drives you to madness and destruction?"

"What are you getting at Hermione?" Remus asked her sharply, his voice rumbling a little as he growled at discussing something he was uncomfortable with.

"Well, I feel like the idea of you taking wolf shape will help with the pain of the transformation which is why we tried that in the holidays, but I had another idea. In the dungeons you said that the wolf couldn't learn to trust us and know us and love us because when you black out you lose who you are." Hermione paused as she gathered her thoughts so she could explain them in a way that would make sense.

"I argued that you and the wolf were two souls sharing a body and you disagreed saying you are one and the same. Now obviously I'm not a werewolf so I can't be sure about this, but I have a few theories about a way to make it so that you trust all of us beyond anything else. So that the wolf inside you loves us and trusts us. You said it was impossible because all he knows is hate."

"It's a combination of the two Hermione" Remus told her, this time without the growl in his voice "It's not exactly that we're two souls sharing a body, it's more like…. We're two halves of the same soul and at the full moon the werewolf half takes over, but in order for that to happen, the human half of me has to be pushed into submission." Remus explained.

Everyone looked fascinated as Hermione came closer to perch on the edge of his chair and peer into his eyes.

"I've noticed that on the day of the full moon the control you have on the wolf half of yourself is tested. Your eyes flicker between their human golden brown and wolf yellow. You have more of a growl in your voice when you get irritated and you grow angry far more easily." Hermione told him as she watched his eyes change from gold to yellow to gold again.

"You hate what you are Remus. You hate that you can't push the wolf half of you down into submission and have him stay there in chains." Hermione murmured "And in doing so all you are teaching the wolf half of you is to hate. If all you show him is fear and pain and hate, is it any wonder that when he takes control that's all he feels?"

Wolf eyes stared out at Hermione as Remus's nostrils flared to catch Hermione's scent and Hermione held still as Remus leaned a little closer to her.

"Before I came here, I read an old saying Cherokee Indian saying:

_There's a battle between two wolves inside all of us. One is Evil. It is jealousy, hate, greed, resentment, fear, lies and ego. The other is Good. It is joy and peace and love and trust and humility and kindness. The wolf that wins the battle is the one you feed."_

Hermione watched Remus's eyebrows lift as he took in those words.

"You think that if he teaches the wolf other things, things like love and trust and happiness he'll keep from blacking out completely at the full moon?" Sirius asked her from the next chair.

"No. I don't think that. I think that no matter what you teach the wolf, on the full moon Remus's human half will be pushed down into submission as the wolf escapes for the night."

"Then what are you getting at Hermione?" Remus snarled. Hermione didn't flinch when she realised he was right in her face now, nor when Sirius put a hand on her shoulder and tried to pull her back from Remus a little.

"Sirius, let go of me." Hermione said softly "That is part of the problem you all have. You're afraid of Remus like this and you need to stop being afraid of him."

"Hermione I could kill you how can you stand there and claim you're not afraid?" Remus spat angrily.

"Do I smell like I'm afraid of you Remus?"Hermione countered. She watched Remus's nostrils flare to catch her scent, trying to find the acrid scent of fear and clearly failing.

"I'm not afraid of you because I have a theory about all of this. About making that fact that you are a werewolf easier on you." Hermione told him reaching out to take his hand and finding it cold.

"It's not going to be easy for you to do Remus…." Hermione added when Remus looked interested in what she had to say. "But I want you to try and stop hating the fact that you're a werewolf. Of all the people in this room, the only one who thinks less of you for what you are is you. And so you walk around loathing yourself and what you are. If the wolf is truly one half of your soul then you are feeding him all those evil things, You feed him hate and anger and fear because you fear the pain of the change, you fear that you might hurt someone when you lose your humanity, you hate that you're different from you're friends."

"But I want you to accept what you are. We all love you Remus. No matter what, we love you. Do you understand that? You chased me with the intention of killing me or turning me or even eating me and James and Sirius saved me, resulting in both of them getting hurt. We still love you. I don't think less of you for it. Sirius doesn't think less of you or resent you for hurting him. I want you to extend the same courtesy to yourself. I want you to look both the human half and the wolf half of your soul in the eye and accept what you are. Accept that you are a werewolf, stop fearing the change and let the wolf learn of love and trust and happiness from us and from you."

"How?" Remus ground out, squeezing Hermione's hand in his tightly.

"If you can accept who you are and come to an arrangement within yourself, I believe you will experience a little chance inside yourself. Instead of forcing the wolf down into submission whenever there isn't a full moon, I want you to let him out, let him live right alongside your humanity as you go about your life. Who knows, maybe if you let him have a little control now, he'll let you have a little control during the change." Hermione suggested.

"What makes you so sure this is a god idea? That it will work." Remus demanded, clearly not liking the idea at all. Hermione sighed and glanced over her shoulder at Sirius. He still had his hand on her shoulder. His blue eyes searched Hermione's for a moment and Hermione let her face tilt sideways to rub against his hand for a moment drawing strength from the touch.

"Before I came here I knew of a werewolf who loved what he was." Hermione told Remus softly "It made him different from you. He liked to sport a particularly wolf like appearance, but he loved what he was. He accepted that he was a werewolf and that being a werewolf sometimes made him violent and volatile. But he embraced the hatred within the wolf and let it take control of his human half, making him quiet evil." Hermione paused as she tried to shake the evil smirk of Fenrir Greyback out of her mind "But I think that if you embrace the wolf with your human side, you could teach him the good qualities and push out some of the hate. But you can only do that if you accept what you are and love yourself anyway. Can you do that?"

Remus's human eyes looked fearful as he stared at her bewilderedly.

"We want you to be happy Remus" Peter piped up, reaching across to touch his friend's shoulder.

"She's right mate. We love you. Not in spite of the werewolf, but because you're a werewolf" James told Remus softly from the couch he sat on with Lily leaning comfortably against him. Remus turned to look at him and Hermione knew that even with all of them telling him they loved him, Remus still feared and hated what he was.

"Moony, it can't hurt to try it. Starting tomorrow, since embracing the wolf right now might bring on the change, I want you to let the wolf have a little more control. Let him look out through your eyes and walk with you in the halls between classes. You trust us as the wolf not to let you hurt anyone when we break you out of the Shrieking Shack, trust us everywhere else not to let him get the best of you and take over during class." Sirius told Remus as he scooted closer behind Hermione, moving from his couch to perch on the arm of Remus's.

"If it helps at all Remus, I was terrified of werewolves until third year and now that I know who you are, I'm not afraid anymore." Lily said softly, smiling at Remus from next to James.

Remus closed his eyes as though he was in pain as they all spoke and when he opened them and looked back at Hermione they were wolf yellow again.

"You knew what I was from the minute you arrived didn't you Hermione?" He asked her softly, still clutching her hand. Hermione peered into his eyes, realising that the truthful answer was what Remus was looking for right now.

"Yes. The minute I saw you I knew who you are."

"You knew my name?"

"I knew _who_ you are Remus. You are Remus Lupin, you are man and wolf inside one body, and you are brilliant." Hermione told him.

"You knew when I kissed you that I was a werewolf?" he asked her softly, Hermione nodded her head.

"And you made up that thing about outlets why?"

"Because you don't like people knowing the truth. I knew that if I told you it was ok that you'd kissed me because the wolf half of you was trying to get out, you'd hate yourself even more. I've known since I got here that you're a werewolf Remus. And I've not once been afraid of you. Even when you were chasing me I wasn't afraid because you a werewolf thought I was a little worried that you might catch me…" Hermione smiled at him.

"Because I'd bite you?" Remus asked her, his voice growling again.

"No. Because I was wearing my brand new pyjamas and didn't want to get blood on them."

Remus looked doubtful.

"Remus, this is part of the problem," Hermione told him "You think we're afraid of you. Afraid that you'll lose control and bite one of us. We're not afraid. That's why I at least will be out there tonight with you. I'm not afraid of you, I'm not afraid of the wolf and I'm not afraid that you'll hurt us. You can't hurt us because we love you and even your wolf knows that you love us too."

"And if I do bite you?" Remus snarled.

Hermione looked right into the eyes of the wolf. She could see the wolf half of him was in control right now though without the moon he couldn't take the werewolf form. And Hermione did something she'd never done before, she leaned closer to Remus until she was nose to nose with him and stared directly into the wolf half of Remus's soul.

"Then I'll be a werewolf too." Hermione told him softly before pulling back slightly and offering him her arm "I'm not afraid of the wolf, and I'm not afraid of what it means to be a werewolf. So if you want to bite me, then go right ahead."

Something flashed in those wolf yellow eyes and Remus took hold of Hermione's arm with both hands. His eyes never left hers as his lips pulled back from his teeth and Hermione didn't move as Remus lifted her arm to his mouth.

Hermione could feel everyone around them watching apprehensively but her gaze never wavered from the staring match she was having with the wolf half of Remus. Her heartbeat stayed steady and Remus opened his mouth and wrapped his teeth around Hermione's dainty wrist. The feel of his teeth against her skin tickled Hermione even though they felt sharper than they should, but she held still and stared into the wolf's eyes. For several long moments Remus held her there like that and his nostrils tested the air for the scent of her fear but found none.

Hermione flinched slightly when his teeth let me go and he instead pressed a kiss to her skin. The wolf half of Remus was completely in control and those yellow eyes seemed to smile at Hermione as he lowered her arm again. His voice came out gutturally, low and growly when he spoke

"You truly have no fear of me" the wolf inside Remus growled softly "Thank you for your trust. I will never hurt you" Hermione knew that it was the wolf and not the human half of Remus that spoke to her and Hermione felt giddy with happiness as she realised that her theory was correct. The wolf wanted to trust them and love them and wanted Remus to love him and trust him in the same way he trusted the human half of Remus.

Hermione saw it when the wolf let the human Remus take control again as his eyes shifted back to the golden brown colour they were when his human half was in control.

"What did you do?" Remus gasped at her, eyes searching Hermione's face wildly.

Hermione smiled at her friend "How do you feel Remus?" she asked him softly.

"Strange. I've never felt like this before…. How do you keep doing this to me Hermione?" he asked her softly.

"How do I keep doing what sweetie?"

"Throwing me off. What did you do to me just now? I've never felt this…. Calm" Remus murmured.

"I showed the wolf half of you complete trust and not a skerrick of fear." Hermione told him "All he wants is for you to trust him like he trusts you and the acceptance of him within you. I gave him that acceptance. So did everyone else in the room by not protesting or trying to interfere when I told you that you could go ahead and bite me and turn me into a werewolf too if you wanted."

"Did I?" Remus gasped, looking horrified.

Hermione lifted her arm to show him the spot the wolf had kissed.

"No. The wolf threatened it, to test me and make sure I really did trust him, and then he kissed my arm, thanked me for my trust in him, and told me he'll never hurt me."

Remus reeled at her words and hormone smiled around at her friends, all of whom were staring at her and Remus in what looked like awe.

"He got control and he didn't do something terrible…." Remus whispered, seemingly himself.

"Say we Remus." Hermione murmured back to him. "It's not you against the wolf. As you said, you are one and the same."

Hermione squeaked when Remus grabbed her and tugged her onto his lap, crushing her into a hug that stole Hermione's breath from her lunges as he squeezed her.

"You really are the best thing to ever happen to us 'Mione" Sirius told her when Remus let her go, then he leaned forward to whisper in her ear even though everyone would hear him with their heightened animal hearing anyway "I'm so bloody happy you're here."


	20. Playing for Keeps

**Them Boys**

**Chapter 20: Playing for Keeps**

Hermione had just gotten out of the shower and dressed in her bathrobe when she heard something tapping on her window. Thinking it would be an owl with a response from the letter she had sent to Professor Dumbledore, Hermione wasn't at all concerned about going to the window in just her bathrobe so she was fiddling with her hair with one hand while she opened the window wide with the other.

Hermione gasped and threw herself sideways when she saw a boy on a broomstick speeding towards her before zooming into her suite.

"What are you doing?" Hermione demanded angrily of the boy on the broom as he landed on her carpet and leant his broomstick against a wall.

Sirius Black turned to look at Hermione as she got to her feet and he couldn't help smiling at how adorable she looked. Her hair was pulled up into a bun on top of her head and her thick fringe hung down over her forehead and into her eyes which blazed angrily. She wore only a fluffy purple bathrobe and Sirius couldn't help admiring her smooth, creamy skin where her legs poked out the bottom of the robe since it only fell to her knees.

"You look adorable when you glare at me like that," Sirius told her as he threw himself down into the armchair in front of her fire.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked him, attempting to rein in her temper when she realised it was Sirius.

"I missed you." He shrugged without looking at her.

"And so you had to get on you broom and fly through my window?" Hermione asked, amused and feeling slightly pleased to know that he'd missed her.

"We just finished Quidditch training. James has gone off with Evans somewhere, Remus has already gone to the Shack to transform later, and Pete's off with Katie. So I figured I'd come and see my favourite person at Hogwarts." Sirius told her charmingly.

Hermione smiled to know Peter was spending time with Katie. She was the pretty girl with black hair that he'd kissed at the New Year's Eve Ball at the Potter's. They been on a few 'dates' around the castle, spending some quality time together and it seemed that they were still enjoying each other's company enough to be together again tonight and Hermione wondered how long it would take before they declared they were officially a couple.

"More like you had no one else to hang out with so you chose me as a last resort." Hermione teased Sirius, blushing as she suddenly realised that she only wore her bathrobe. She hadn't even put her knickers on yet!

"You're never my last resort 'Mione" Sirius told her, turning to smile that heart breaker, charming smile at her. "You going to come and sit with me while I warm up or are you too shy when you're dressed like that?" he teased her lightly. He wore his Quidditch robes and Hermione could see that he had sweat patches on his back and beneath the arms of his jersey in spite of the fact that it was still snowing outside.

"I don't know. I'm nice and clean and you're all sweaty and disgusting." Hermione told him as she leant against the edge of the armchair and grinned at him.

"Nothing about me is ever disgusting" Sirius said indignantly.

"I don't know. I mean have you seen you hair today? It's all sweaty and greasy looking." Hermione's eyes twinkled as she poked his hot button.

Sirius glared up at her even as he touched his hair. Since it was so long now that it hung to his elbows he'd actually had to tie it up for practice because otherwise the knots were impossible to get out. In spite of that he looked windblown and several sections had come loose of the tie he had in it, hanging forward around his handsome face.

"You got a problem with me being sweaty from Quidditch 'Mione?" he asked her evenly as he kept on glaring at her "I didn't know you were such a girly girl that you were afraid of a little sweat." He tormented her moment before he shot towards her and dragged her down into his lap on the armchair.

Hermione blushed when she realised she was now straddling him on the chair and he had his hands on her lower back and she had hers on his shoulders.

"So you missed me huh?" Hermione asked him huskily as she settled herself onto his lap, feeling incredibly naughty as she let herself sit on his groin even though she wasn't wearing any knickers.

"You smell amazing," Sirius told her as he breathed in the scent of her room and her clean skin after her shower. Hermione smirked at him and the sexual tension between them spiked as Hermione realised they were all alone in her suite, not likely to be disturbed by anybody since all of their friends were busy, and she wasn't wearing anything but a bathrobe.

Slowly she let her hands slide around to the nape of Sirius's neck, her fingers tangling in his hair, as she let loose the leather shoe string tie that held his hair back. Sirius watched her with hunger burning in his blue eyes and Hermione's fingers tangled in the little curls at his nape. Sirius tilted his head back to stare up at her hungrily as Hermione let her face hover over his. Hermione smiled down at him as she lowered her face until she could feel his breath on her cheeks and feel his warmth against her skin. She was just a hair's breath from kissing him and Hermione felt herself start to tingle all over in excitement. She hadn't kissed Sirius since the holidays as they both kept on playing their little game of teasing and tormenting each other and Hermione couldn't help feeling like she wanted to kiss him all the time for the rest of eternity. But she couldn't because she was completely in love with him and Sirius would just love her and leave her if she ever admitted to that.

"Still playing your little game 'Mione?" Sirius asked her in an odd voice. Hermione titled her head sideways questioningly. He sounded a little irritated at her.

"Something wrong Sirius?" she asked him huskily, though this time the huskiness of her voice wasn't on purpose. It was just his proximity and they way she wanted to kiss him so much. Without answering her, Sirius closed the distance between their lips and Hermione let her eyes slide closed in pleasure as Sirius kissed her.

He kissed her gently, his lips brushing against hers lightly before he deepened the kiss, his tongue flicking out to sweep against hers tenderly and Hermione felt herself melt into the delicious kiss as Sirius nibbled her lower lip sensually. With her eyes closed Hermione let her hands come up to cup Sirius's cheeks, loving the way he tasted of mint and smelled of sweat and diesel and timber. His hands on her lower back massaged gently and Hermione found herself wanting to roll her pelvis against his like they had when he'd invited her into his bed on New Year's Day but she fought the urge.

Sirius Black let his eyes slide closed as he kissed Hermione tenderly. Her hands were light and gentle on his face and the feel of her tongue brushing against his made him want to do so much more to her than just kiss her. But Sirius didn't want to scare her, not when she was only wearing a bathrobe and they were alone like this. He wanted to take his time with her, to let her slowly unravel beneath his lips and tongue until he could convince her to be his date to Hogsmeade this weekend. Until he could convince her to want to kiss him like this all the time, to be his girlfriend, to be in his life forever.

Because for the first time in his life Sirius had let himself get to know a girl before leaping into the physical stuff with her. Not just because Hermione had turned him down either. But because he loved the way her eyes lit up in class whenever the teacher asked a question even though she seemed to fight the urge to throw her hand in the air and answer every single one. He loved the way she chewed on her bottom lip when she was nervous or when she was concentrating. He loved the way she watched him from beneath that fringe of hers, her eyes twinkling with mischief as she smirked at him and made him forget what he'd been doing or saying because she was so beautiful that he never wanted to stop looking at her.

Sirius loved the way she loved his friends as much as he did. He loved the way she worked so hard to make them all better, closer friends and the way she seemed to be turning them all into better people because she cared so much for them and always had a solution to any little problem they had. As he sat there in her room with her straddling his hips and cuddled up against him, kissing like there was no tomorrow, Sirius couldn't help thinking that he wanted to do this with Hermione forever. The feel of her warm lips against his and her hands against his skin made his stomach do a little somersault and his heart gave a squeeze of happiness.

He was tired of playing her little game. Tired of watching her flirt with him and watching the way other boys eyed her hungrily. He was tired of having her tease him only to pull away from him because she was convinced he just wanted to sleep with her and then be on his way. He didn't know what kind of man he'd been in the future she had come from, but Sirius knew that now that she was here in his time with him, he wanted to change the man he must have been. He wanted to be with her. Wanted her to love him the way he was so hopelessly in love with her.

Merlin just the other day he'd found himself daydreaming about what it would be like when they'd finished school and Lily and James got married. In the day dream he'd watched Hermione walk down the aisle in a white dress towards him and he'd been sad and disappointed when James had nudged him out of it.

Slowly Sirius began to pull away from their kiss and he smiled against her lips when Hermione gave a little whimper of protest. Her cheeks were flushed when Sirius opened his eyes and peered up at Hermione, she was breathing quickly and there was hunger for him in her chocolate brown eyes.

"Hermione, love" Sirius murmured huskily as he stared at her swollen lips "Will you be my date to Hogsmeade this weekend?"

Hermione looked slightly dazed as she dragged her eyes away from Sirius's mouth to stare into his blue eyes.

"Why do you keep asking me Sirius?" Hermione asked him breathily "Haven't I made it clear that I don't want to be one of those girls who falls for your charms and ends up a sobbing mess in some corner of the castle?"

Slowly Hermione let her hands fall to her exposed thighs in disappointment. She looked down at them instead of holding Sirius's gaze, knowing that if she kept looking into those blue eyes she would end up saying yes and probably blurting out how much she loved him already.

"Haven't I made it clear that I don't want that either? That I want more from you than that?" Sirius countered, his hand lifting her chin so she had to look up at him. Hermione searched his face in confusion. What was he saying?

"You're trying to tell me you want to take me on a date to Hogwarts and not just in an attempt to woo me into bed with you?" Hermione asked doubtfully.

Hermione watched Sirius frown at her and then take a deep breath in and she wondered if he was reaching for patience since he looked irritated with her.

"I'm trying to tell you I want to take you on a date in the hopes that maybe you'll drop your silly little game of playing hard to get. I don't know what you think I'm playing for, but I can tell you now that it's not to lure you into bed with me 'Mione." Sirius told her sharply.

"Then what are you playing for Sirius?" Hermione demanded, trying to climb off his lap and finding that he held her there easily.

Sirius glared up at her at that.

"Keeps!" he snapped "I'm playing for keeps Hermione. But since you obviously only tease me and torment me for your own amusement, and since you clearly have such a low opinion of me, I'm not going to play at all anymore." With that Sirius lifted her easily and stood her on her feet before pushing her out of the way as he got up and strode across the room towards his broomstick.

"What do you mean you're playing for keeps?" Hermione demanded as she strode after him. Hermione gasped when Sirius spun back towards her quickly looking mad.

"It means that I don't just want to take you on a date and shag you! It means I want to convince you to be my bloody girlfriend!" Sirius snarled at her "But since you can't seem to forget what a horrible guy I must have been when you knew me before and focus on who I am now, you don't even see how I feel about you and I'm sick of you toying with me."

"What?" Hermione asked, sure she had heard him incorrectly.

"You heard me." Sirius napped before turning back around and grabbing his broom.

"Why do you want me to be your girlfriend Sirius?" Hermione asked him before he took another step.

"Figure it out." He snapped without looking at her.

"Well the way I see it it's either because you've actually developed romantic feelings for me, or you just think you have because I'm the only girl you've shown an interest in who has turned you down."

"Tell me something 'Mione," Sirius growled as he spun to face her again "What kind of dog was I in the future you lived, that you think that my only interest in life is having sex and breaking hearts?"

"When I knew you, you weren't at all. In fact when I knew you, you'd spent your entire adult life alone and didn't seem to show any interest in women whatsoever. But you had a reputation from when you were at Hogwarts as being a bit of a ladies man because you're so good looking." Hermione told him frankly.

"Then what in Merlin's left bollock makes you think that I'm just trying to shag you?" Sirius demanded.

"The fact that I don't want to get hurt when you realise I'm nothing but a boring little book worm who is more interested in studying and learning things than in making real friends. The fact that I'm not pretty enough to be with someone who looks as good as you do. So if I go and admit that I'm in over my head with how much I fancy you and agree to date you or be your girlfriend, I'm afraid that one day you'll look at me in disgust when sitting there in class with my hand thrown in the air to answer the teachers question because I'm just a little know it all whose soul is as dry as the pages of the books I so desperately cleave." Hermione admitted, spitting out the words Professor Trelawney had said to her in her third year.

"You're wrong" Sirius told her, titling his head to one side like the giant puppy dog he could turn into "I watch you in class when you're eyes light up because you know the answer and I watch you physically restrain yourself from putting up your hand to answer every question. And you don't care more about study than you do about friends. If you did you wouldn't be friends with all of the Marauders and Evans like you are. You have no idea how you're changing our friendships. We've never been closer than we are since you popped into existence 'Mione."

Hermione watched as Sirius let go of his broom and watched it fall to the ground with a clatter as he strode back towards her until his chest brushed against hers again.

"You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen and it takes all of my concentration to keep from just staring at you all day long" Sirius told her, taking hold of both of her hands "Every time I look at you I realise all over again just how bad I've got it for you."

Hermione's breath caught in her throat as Sirius said that. Her heart was doing back flips inside her chest she was sure.

"How bad?" She murmured, staring up into his bright blue eyes as he looked at her as though she were the most beautiful, precious, wonderful thing he'd ever seen.

"As bad a James has it for Evans" Sirius murmured back to her. Hermione stopped breathing as he said that. Did that mean that Sirius Black was in love with her?

"You should know Sirius" Hermione said softly, realising there was something she needed to tell him before she agreed to date him "Since Christmas time I've been trying to throw all of your charming little tricks back at you, to make you fall in love with me like you've done to so many girls."

Sirius tilted his head sideways at her "Why?"

"Because…. That way, if you were in love with me, it wouldn't matter as much."

"What wouldn't matter as much?" Sirius asked her sharply.

"How I feel about you." Hermione whispered, closing her eyes as she blushed at admitting that. Hermione jumped when Sirius began to laugh.

"Which is how 'Mione?" he asked her wickedly.

Hermione just stared up at him knowing that the fact that she was in love with him was written all over her face

"So this whole time we've been dancing around each other, playing this silly game, instead of just admitting to fancying each other?"

"You knew I fancied you?" Hermione asked, mortified. Sirius shook his head.

"I thought you barely tolerated me. That you were my friend, but had no interest in me that way at all. Especially since until just a minute ago you hadn't kissed me in almost a month." Sirius admitted. "But you should have known that I fancied you before we even went on holidays."

Hermione stared up him in bewilderment.

"Ask the lads if you don't believe me." Sirius told her "That night you and me and James and Lily all went swimming, James was worried the potion in the water would have me blurting out my feelings for you before you fancied me back."

"Not much chance of that when you were accusing me of working for Voldemort instead." Hermione laughed as Sirius pulled her into a hug.

"So what do you say 'Mione?" Sirius murmured against her hair as he cuddled her "Will you be my girlfriend now?"

"Well…. That depends" Hermione murmured. Sirius went stiff in her arms.

"Depends on what?"

"Sirius, I told you my secret about where I really came from. Can you accept that the future I knew of all of you, I'm meddling with?"

"Why are you meddling with time 'Mione? Isn't that dangerous?" Sirius asked her, releasing her but catching her hand and leading her over to sit with him in front of her hearth.

"It is dangerous, but I'm not likely to run into myself for another few years at least so that part isn't an issue. But I have to meddle Sirius. I'm not ok with living the next few years into the future I knew without interfering. I can save people and fix wrongs that should've been fixed in the first place."

Hermione looked up at Sirius, her eyes searching his handsome face for acceptance. Slowly she reached out and cupped his cheek in her hand.

"I know you don't want to answer questions about it 'Mione" Sirius murmured to her "But I have to ask this one…. If you don't meddle, will all of our friends survive the coming war?"

Biting her lip as she stared into the puppy dog eyes of the boy she was in love with, Hermione slowly shook her head no. Sirius's eyes went wide for a moment before he took both her hands and kissed them.

"Then meddle, Baby." He whispered softly before pulling her into his lap and cuddling her against his chest. "Meddle and make sure that all of our friends survive for the next hundred years or so."

"There are some other things you should probably know about me before you decide whether or not you really want me to be your girlfriend." Hermione told Sirius as she rested her cheek against his chest.

"What things?" Sirius asked her softly, his hand stroking her hair.

"I'm actually muggleborn." Hermione told him, pausing when he rolled his eyes at her "Before I got launched back here I had a crush on a redhead, I'm secretly a bossy little know-it-all and I absolutely detest your mother."

Sirius started to laugh and squeezed Hermione tight. "None of those things matter to me, love. Though I'm pleased you hate my mother. I still can't quite believe you said those things to her."

Hermione smiled "Does this mean we're going on a date on the weekend or do you not take your girlfriends on dates?" She asked nervously.

"Well, I've never actually had a proper girlfriend…. Do you want to go on a date?"

"I suppose a date might be nice." Heroine smiled happily "Though technically it will be our second," she added.

"Second?" Sirius asked.

"I kind of counted you taking me into London on your Motorcycle and buying me hot chocolate as a date." Hermione admitted even as she blushed. Sirius pulled back to look down at her adoringly.

"You look so beautiful when you blush like that." He told her "Can I kiss you now?"

"Can I get dressed first?" Hermione asked softly, suddenly uncomfortable sitting there in just her robe with his. Sirius smiled down at her and nodded before he stretched out on the black shag rug in front of her fireplace.

Hermione quickly got to her feet and dug around in her trunk and her wardrobe for some clothes. In the bathroom with the door closed Hermione couldn't stop herself from doing a little dance of happiness as she stripped off her robe and donned some knickers, some flared black pants, and a baby blue knit sweater. When Hermione came back out of the bathroom she found Sirius lying on his side in dog form in front of her fireplace with his tail thumping madly against the floor as it wagged furiously. Crookshanks had perched himself on top of Sirius and was curled up in a ball on Sirius's ribs purring.

Seeing them both there like that Hermione grinned before she closed her eyes and transformed herself into a red fox. On four paws she crept around her armchair towards both animals in front of her fire and when she was about a meter away she pounced on Sirius's head with a yip.

Sirius barked in surprise and shot to his feet, dislodging Crookshanks who streaked away from them with a hiss since he didn't like either of them very much in their animagus forms. Hermione wrapped her paws around Sirius's head and heard the little yipping sounds she made as she laughed. She could tell Sirius was laughing too from the little arf sounds he made even as he shook his head around trying to dislodge Hermione.

Hermione took his floppy black ear in her mouth and gave it a playful tug before she bounded away from him with a flick of her long bushy tail. Sirius was right on her heels and Hermione spun with a growl when Sirius caught her tail in his teeth. She was laughing as she transformed back, especially when Sirius's mouth snapped twice trying to catch her tail again before he realised she no longer had one. In his dog form Sirius had shaggy black fur that made him look fluffy and loveable, he had floppy ears and stood about three and a half feet tall at the shoulder.

He clambered on top of Hermione, pushing her onto her back and flopping down on top of Hermione before proceeding to lick her face and neck. Hermione giggled and tried to push his away but he was too heavy.

"You know you weight a tonne when you're a dog." Hermione grumbled as she tried to catch her breath with Sirius lying on top of her. Sirius realised the problem and got to his four paws before transforming back into the handsome seventeen year old boy version of Hermione's new boyfriend.

Hermione smiled as she stared up at Sirius while he lowered himself back down, now in human form, to lie on top of her again.

"I'm not as heavy like this." Sirius told her with a wicked little smile as he propped himself up on his hands while his torso and legs rested on top of Hermione's. Hermione's stomach launched into a gymnastics routine of tumbles and flips when heat flared in Sirius's eyes and he murmured huskily "Now can I kiss my girlfriend?"

Hermione's heart gave a happy thud at being called his girlfriend and Hermione nodded slowly as she bought her hands up to bury them in Sirius's soft hair while he leaned down and captured her lips with his. Hermione felt her heart start to pound in her chest as her eyes slid closed and Sirius slipped his skilled tongue into her mouth to tangle with hers. Hermione smiled against his lips as her tummy gave a swoop of happiness and desire and she could feel Sirius smiling as he kissed her passionately. He leaned into her as though he been starved of her kisses all his life and needed to make up for that starvation in this moment.

Sirius's long hair tickled Hermione's face and neck as it hung around them both like a silky black curtain. Hermione let herself get lost in the amount of feeling Sirius poured into their kiss and she wondered just how much he actually fancied her to kiss her with such passionate abandon. When he came up for air Sirius pulled away from her lips, leaving Hermione gasping, even as he kissed along her jaw and then down he neck after pausing to nibble on her earlobe.

Hermione found herself regretting the knickers as a rush of heated passion dampened them at the feelings Sirius was stirring within her. She blushed when Sirius flicked his tongue over the spot on her neck where her pulse fluttered beneath the skin causing her to let out a little whine of pleasure. She blushed even harder when she heard his wicked chuckle of delight before he did it again and earned himself another soft moan of longing and desire.

Hermione froze when she heard a soft knock on her door.

"Hermione? Can I come in?" Lily's voice called from outside the door.

Sirius made a soft sound of irritation that Hermione thought was incredibly close to the growling Remus had been doing all day.

"Use your wand to unlock the door Lily" Hermione called back to her friend as Sirius rolled off her and sat up next to Hermione.

Both of them were breathing heavily and Hermione was blushing crimson as she tried to keep from glancing at Sirius who happened to be grinning like a wickedly happy Cheshire cat as he held her hand in her lap. When Lily walked in her green eyes scanned the room before landing on Hermione and Sirius both sitting on the rug in front of the fireplace.

"Ooh what am I interrupting?" Lily said in a sing-song voice as she skipped towards the two of them happily with a big grin on her face.

"What are you doing in here Black? This is a girl's Dormitory. I could deduct house points from you for being in here you know." Lily continued, even as she started to giggle at the two of them "You finally convinced her didn't you?" Lily asked as she dropped into one of the seats in front of the fire.

Hermione just knew Sirius was smiling smugly as he nodded from next to her and she pulled her hand out of his so she could bury her burning face in both hands to try and hide her blush at being caught.

"So you're going on a date to Hogsmeade then?" Lily asked excitedly, nudging Hermione with her foot. Hermione nodded but Sirius interrupt before Lily could squeal happily.

"She agreed to be my girlfriend."

Lily was silent for a moment and when Hermione lifted her face she saw Lily sitting there with her mouth open as though she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Already? Oh Hermione I thought you're plan was to hold out on him until you knew he was completely in love with you." Lily teased, her green eyes twinkled as she winked at Sirius and Hermione wondered what it meant.

"You knew he fancied me?" Hermione demanded of her red headed best friend.

"We've all known since Christmas time." Lily shrugged casually as though it was no big deal.

"And you didn't think maybe you should tell me?" Hermione asked, getting annoyed.

"Would you really have believed any of us if we told you?" Lily asked her.

"I would have believed you. Probably not the boys, but I would have believed you Lily." Hermione crossed hr arms irritably before turning to a smug Sirius "Well don't sit there so smugly because they all kept it from me. Did Remus tell you that he knew I fancied you?"

"He what?" Sirius said.

"I told Remus when I first started to fancy you, mostly because he knew it was things that smell like you that I could smell from that love potion. I told Lily too, but I guess she loves me more than you since she didn't tell you either."

"It was fun to watch you both try to make the other fall for one another so I didn't interfere. Besides, Hermione, you had to decide for yourself that he actually fancied you without being swayed by what I told you." Lily said "Now are you two love birds coming to dinner? We need to go and meet Remus soon."

"I guess you'd better go back out the window" Hermione told Sirius as she got to her feet and offered him a hand up "We'll wait for you in the common room."

"You'll have to get James to go up and open the window to let me in." Sirius told her before he tugged Hermione against him and claimed her mouth as his again.

"Oh ick, well there goes my appetite," Lily grumbled "I'm telling James about you two." She added before Hermione heard her dash out the Lily, tugging it shut behind her. But she wasn't really paying attention to what Lily did or didn't do. She was too busy making out with her new boyfriend.

"We're supposed to go to dinner" Hermione gasped, pulling back from Sirius to keep from digging her hands beneath his shirt like she so badly wanted to. He was far too good a kisser for Hermione's sense of clarity and Sirius chuckled down at her when he caught sight of the hungry, stricken look on her face.

"But I don't want to go to dinner or run around in the moonlight 'Mione" Sirius told her huskily as his eyes travelled over her like a hot caress "I want to stay here a devour you all night long."

Hermione blushed as she took an involuntary step towards him, wanting exactly the same thing. But Remus needed them and eventually they would get hungry.

"You know we can't" Hermione told him, trying to catch her breath.

For a moment Sirius looked like he wanted to argue, but then he sighed dejectedly and nodded.

"I know. But there's always later. And tomorrow." His blue eyes gleamed wickedly with desire and Hermione felt goose pimples race across her skin longingly.

"You're trouble Sirius Black" Hermione told him before she started to walk for the door and he picked up his broom and headed for her window.

"Maybe, but I'm you're trouble now Hermione Granger." He told her impishly. Hermione jumped slightly at hearing him use her real name, but she smiled at him and waved as he took off out her open window. Realising that her room would be cold tonight if she didn't close it behind him, Hermione quickly ran across the carpet to pull it closed and she paused when she heard the lonely wailing wolf howl of the afternoon air.

Hoping that it was because Remus was already sitting in his animagus wolf form and not because he'd already transformed with the moon, Hermione latched the window closed and went down to the common room. As she stepped off the bottom step Lily ambushed her with questions.

"Oh Merlin Hermione, are you really Black's girlfriend?" she gushed and Hermione laughed at Lily's poor imitation of what other girls in Hogwarts would likely say upon finding out that Hermione and Sirius were now a couple. Most people suspected it anyway since they were such close friends and because of the pregnancy rumour Hermione had falsely started in her anger at Sirius's mother.

"You sound ridiculous." Hermione told her red headed friend as she watch James and Sirius bound down the stairs from their dormitory.

"Hey, paws off Evans! 'Mione's mine now." Sirius announced smugly as he swooped over and lifted Hermione into the air by her waist. Hermione squeaked in surprise to find her tummy suddenly aligned with Sirius's face as he cuddled her against him.

"Sirius Black you put me down this instant!" Hermione snapped at him even though she couldn't stop smiling. She suddenly realised that given how Sirius had liked to be in her personal space as her friend, he was going to be even more touchy feeley as her boyfriend.

After all, it was in his nature to crave physical contact like his doggy animagus form.

"Oh Potter aren't they just adorable." Lily pretended to gush at him before she started making gagging sounds.

"Evans hold still" James complained as Hermione watched from her perch; James was trying to catch Lily so he could lift her the same way Sirius had lifted Hermione.

"I don't know what sort of crazy idea you have in your head right now, but it better not involve you trying to carry me like a trophy all the way to the Great Hall, Sirius." Hermione warned the handsome black haired boy smiling his adorable heart breaker smile up at her.

"But I have to tell the world that you're mine Baby." Sirius grinned "How else will they know that even looking sideways at you with anything other than acknowledgement of your existence will land them on the wrong side of a Marauders prank?"

"And you have to do that by carrying me around?" Hermione asked irritably.

"Well it's this or you let me drag you up to the teachers table at dinner tonight and kiss you in front of the entire school." Sirius told her cheekily.

"Well you're not carrying me to the hall. Please put me down." Hermione asked him sweetly. Smiling up at her Sirius let Hermione slip down his front but he tightened his arms again before she hit the ground, just as her face aligned with his. Hermione tried not to melt into a gooey puddle of happiness as Sirius kissed her again, earning them several wolf whistles from other students in the common room and gagging noises from Lily and James.

"Evans if I hear one more gagging noise from you I'm going to make out with Hermione every time I catch you trying to eat or study." Sirius threatened Lily as he put Hermione down.

"You two are the worst for public displays of affection anyway" Hermione told them, socking James on the arm when he pretended to swoon at her "How many times have all of us looked over at you two when you don't answer our questions to find you sucking each other's faces off? So don't talk to me about gagging from one little kiss."

The two couples teased each other the whole way down to the Great Hall and Hermione held her head high in spite of the numerous death stares aimed at her when she walked in holding Sirius's hand.

"You finally convinced her?" Peter exclaimed excitedly when they joined him and Katie at the Gryffindor table. Sirius nodded emphatically and Hermione rolled her eyes at him. He was way too pleased and smug for a boy who'd just agreed to be in a relationship.

"Congratulations Hermione" Katie told Hermione with a smile.

"Thanks Katie. How are you tonight?" Hermione smiled at the girl and set about having her dinner as she tried to ignore the little thrills that shot through her every time her hand brushed Sirius's or every time he winked at her.

"Oh I'm alright." Katie sighed "I've just got so much homework to catch up on since I want to have it all done before the weekend. Peter's taking me to Hogsmeade."

"What kind of homework do you have?" Hermione asked the girl, always interested in any form of learning.

"Oh I need to write a foot long essay for Professor Sprout on the Chinese Chomping Cabbage, how to recognise it and its properties and uses and everything. As well as reading my text books for Charms and Defence and a few other things." Katie told Hermione.

"It would probably be part of your research anyway, but when you're in the library looking for information on the Chinese Chomping Cabbage, there is an excellent book in the potions section that had information on that little plant. I found it one day when I was looking for potion ingredient information. It had a nice diagram too, which would get you extra marks in the essay, if you can copy the diagram well enough." Hermione told the girl cheerfully.

She looked up from her food when she realised no one else was talking and Sirius caught her eye.

"Do you know that you light up with excitement when you spout facts like that?" her asked her, smiling sweetly.

"Oh I do not." Hermione denied.

"Yes you do. You're eyes get wide and you smile a little, especially when you're helping someone. You should be a teacher someday." Sirius told her fondly.

Hermione laughed at that.

"A few of my old friends suggested it, but one in particular pointed out why that idea is rubbish." Hermione said remembering the time at the Burrow between third and fourth year before the world cup when Ginny had suggested Hermione be a teacher one day. Ron had snorted and told them both that it was a rubbish idea because while Hermione might very well be clever and good at teaching others, no student would pass her class because Hermione wouldn't be able to accept anyone's homework and pass them for it if they didn't include all the research she would have put into it.

"Why don't you think you'd be good at it Hermione?" Peter asked her "You were really good at teaching me about Dirigible Plums last weekend."

"I'm good at helping people out with their learning, and I could probably teach the classes. But none of my students would pass because so many don't put as much effort into their essays and homework as I do, and anything less than what I achieve would be unacceptable. A good example would be the other day, Sirius, when I read your Charms essay. You should have included a diagram of the effects and you should have discussed the incredible amount of complications that can happen when someone uses the charm to cover themselves in fur, in greater detail."

"What? You read it and said it was fine" Sirius objected.

"And it was fine, though I did suggest both of those things at the time but you were too busy using the spell on yourself to pay attention to what I was saying about your essay. The point I'm making is that while Professor Flitwick won't mind so much that you didn't go into explicit detail like I did, if I were your professor you would have lost marks for it."

Sirius watched her with an odd expression on his face for several long moment while James chortled and Lily nodded along emphatically as though she agreed that anything less than perfect wasn't good enough.

"Well then, based on that I think that we'll be leaving the discipline of our children up to me." Sirius said in a particularly serious tone with a completely straight face. He even frowned a little as though imagining Hermione reprimanding their imaginary children by making them do something over and over again until they knew as much about everything as she did.

James started to laugh when Hermione sprayed Pumpkin juice all over him in shock.

"What did you just say?" she gasped hoarsely as her throat kept trying to force the pumpkin juice she had swallowed instead of spraying out, down her wind pipe instead the pipe for food.

"James I think based on Evans's expression, that you ought to be in charge or your kid's discipline too. If we let these two have their way the poor little blighters will be walking text books who speak in a monotone and are covered in ink blotches." Sirius told his laughing friend.

"Sirius Black I agreed to be your girlfriend less than an hour ago. You simply aren't allowed to speak to me about the two of us raising children." Hermione said, clutching her chest at her speeding heart rate from the very idea of having kids with the threat of Voldemort hanging over her head. Hermione certainly wouldn't be considering such things until she had managed to incapacitate Voldemort, preferably by killing him.

"At least you haven't got to worry about her demanding that you marry right out of school mate." James told Sirius who looked slightly dejected.

"What is wrong with you?" Hermione asked him, staring at the long haired boy sitting next to her. Sirius looked at her with sad blue eyes but he didn't answer her. Instead he and James and Peter fell back to their regular dinnertime conversation, Quidditch, Quidditch practice, and prank playing.

Hermione and Lily exchanged baffled looks while Katie giggled.

When they got back to the common room it was dark outside, but heroine knew the moon wouldn't be high enough to force Remus's change yet. Peter flopped down on the floor to work on his homework though Hermione noticed her had a Quidditch magazine in his pile of textbooks and that he seemed to think that the information he needed on the Augurey (An Irish phoenix resembling a vulture) would be found in his copy of the Appleby Arrows Quidditch team annual magazine.

Lily had dragged James off to the library to get some textbooks for an assignment they had for potions and Sirius had flopped back into an armchair in front of the fire, which he proceeded to stare into moodily. Hermione couldn't help but be reminded of Harry as she watched Sirius glare at the fire crackling merrily.

"What's got your wand in a knot?" Hermione asked Sirius when she got up and stood in between Sirius and the fire, crossing her arms as she stared down him. Sirius glared at her legs for a bit before he reached out and took hold of her thighs, using his grip on her to turn her around before he pulled her backwards by her hips so that she dropped back onto the armchair with him. Hermione raised her eyebrows as Sirius tugged her back against him. He'd planted her on the chair in between his spread legs and wrapped his arms around her waist so that she was cuddled up against his chest with his chin resting on her shoulder.

"What's wrong Sirius?" Hermione asked him softly, enjoying the way she felt petite and tiny cuddled up in his arms like this. "You haven't talked to me since I told you that thinking about the two of us raising kids wasn't allowed one hour into a relationship."

Sirius still didn't say anything.

"Are actually upset with me for being slightly alarmed by the idea of you saying that having children with me is something you are or have been considering?" Hermione asked Sirius, sure she must be losing her mind.

Other than James Potter with his incredible obsession and love of Lily, Hermione had never heard of any sane male who was so in love at seventeen that the idea of marriage and children seemed not only intriguing but was a life goal and something that sounded wonderful. The idea that Sirius Black, a boy known not only in this time but in the one Hermione had come from for his scoundrel ways, speaking of having kids with her was more than a little bit alarming.

"I didn't know the idea was so horrifying to you" Sirius said in a low angry voice.

Hermione felt like her head was reeling. he really was upset with her for it

"I didn't know that you had any interest in anything other than Quidditch, rule breaking and your friends." Hermione countered softly trying to make sure that no one would overhear them having a small argument on their first day as a couple.

"Are you not interested in getting married and having kids someday Hermione?" Sirius asked her.

"Sure I am. Someday. When I don't need to be altering the future and saving the lives of my friends from the most evil, vile disgusting creature on the planet. When that day comes I look forward to the idea of settling down somewhere, getting a cute little cottage with a big garden and getting married, maybe having a few kids, maybe a whole bunch of them. But Sirius I simply cannot do that until the threat of Lord Voldemort is no longer hanging over me and the people I love." Hermione said softly, resorting to the mantra she had been playing in her head since fourth year. Sirius stayed quiet behind her and Hermione sighed. She could practically hear his thoughts.

In this time war hadn't really started, at least not as far as Hermione knew; as far as she knew it was still developing. But Hermione knew what was coming if she and Dumbledore couldn't do something about this. Yet in Sirius's mind, things like marriage and a family and the type of job you got after Hogwarts were important things to think about and Hermione had all but given up on the dream of such things during her time fighting Voldemort and the Dark forces he massed to him.

"Sirius… The times ahead are fraught with peril and if I don't meddle and toy with the sequence of events, at least three of our dear little group of friends will die. Do you understand that? Three of you die!" Hermione whispered in frustration "In the time I was living three of your little group of friends was dead, I had no idea where the fourth was and the fifth was working tirelessly for the Order of the Phoenix, which Dumbledore created just the other day. I refuse to live in this time now and still have those three deaths occur. Ok?" Hermione whispered softly.

Sirius had gone tense behind her at hearing her divulge so much information about the future she had known. Hermione sighed again, knowing she'd said too much but suddenly feeling mentally exhausted from carrying around so many terrible secrets.

"What I'm trying to tell you Sirius…" Hermione murmured to him "Is that for me to be able to have all of those nice, happy things I have to kill Voldemort." She turned in her chair to stare into Sirius's handsome seventeen year old face with his strong jaw, utterly kissable mouth, cute nose, deep set blue eyes, all framed by long silky black hair "Because the things that will happen if I don't… Well if i don't murder Voldemort, I can't have any of those things with the person I'd most like to have them with."


	21. Welcome to My Truth

**A/N: Hello Cherubs! So it's currently finals time at my university, but i'm a shocker when it comes to writing as m from of procrastination when i should be studying. So, i will hopefully be able to give y'all some updates on Take the Tumble and on Wild Things. I've also been working on a new Phantom Stallion one for y'all that read those ones of my stories. And i found 2 other really old fan fics that i started on another site but didn't finish because it was a restricted site, they are a James and Lily fluff one, and an angsty, fluffy, edgy Dramione one... Let me know if ya'll think i should pursue them. Anyways i hope you've all been loving the updates for Them Boys, thanks for the many reviews and much love to all of y'all. Also my thoughts and prayers to all effected in Oklahoma. I know it's not much but i offer you this sweet little chapter in the hopes that it might cheer a few of you up even just the tiniest bit. Much love everyone XXXX- Kittenshift17.**

**Them Boys**

Chapter 21: Welcome to my Truth

Realising that she'd really put her foot in it now since she'd all but admitted to Sirius that he was going to die sometime within the next twenty years if she didn't interfere with fate, Hermione bit her lip. Sirius's arms held her tightly but Hermione could tell it was from shock and surprise.

"Come upstairs with me a minute will you?" Hermione asked him, getting to her feet and looking down into Sirius's wide blue eyes. "I need to talk to you."

Hermione led the way up the steps to the dormitory Sirius shared with Remus, James and Peter, easily finding her way over to Sirius's bed and peering out the window next to his bed at the cloudy sky. When she heard the door click closed Hermione turned and flicked her wand to cast a spell on the room so they wouldn't be over heard. Especially since she could tell from Sirius's face that he was about to start yelling at her. Of course if someone had told her that she was going to die in the next twenty years and therefore the idea of considering getting married or having kids was a waste of time, Hermione would start yelling too.

"THREE!" Sirius exploded at her. Hermione flinched at how angry he sounded, as well as the topic since she'd assumed he would want to talk about him being one of the three. "When you told me at home that asking questions about the future you knew of us wasn't such a good idea, I thought you meant maybe because our lives didn't turn out very happy. And in your room earlier when I asked you if we all survive the coming war and you shook your head I had the horrible thought that maybe one of us doesn't live through it. But three?"

Sirius looked at a loss for words because he was so angry.

"I know it's not exactly something to be happy about to learn that of the five of you, the Marauders plus Lily, three of you will be dead within the next twenty years. But I don't understand why you're yelling at me Sirius. I'm trying to keep those things from happening." Hermione said softly.

"Don't understand….?" Sirius sputtered at her "Hermione you've been keeping a whole lot from me and even more from the rest of our friends, and I kept quiet about your secret because I could see how much it upset you to talk about the life you came from. But I just…. I can't just keep quiet anymore!"

Hermione watched him drag his hands through his hair as he tried to calm himself down and found herself smiling at the familiar gesture. Over a year ago she'd stood in the kitchen at Grimmauld Place and watched Sirius run his hands through his hair as he reached for the patience to follow Dumbledore's orders and stay put when he really didn't want to. Seeing him do it here, twenty years younger and so full of life, so carefree and completely unburdened by the deaths of his best friend and Lily was like watching a film on reverse and Hermione met his eyes when he looked up at her, silently vowing that someday she would see him do it as old as he had been, but still looking as young and happy and carefree as he did now.

"What are you smiling at?" he demanded "Three of my friends are going to die and you're smiling at me."

"Oh Sirius…." Hermione murmured "You're wrong. No one is going to die. At least no one I love. I have every intention of trying to end this stupid war by destroying the evil man at its head. I may not succeed, after all he is one of the most powerful wizards in the world, but I _will_ see to it that not one of you dies this time."

Sirius stared at her for a long time.

"Please tell me everything?" Sirius whispered to her. Hermione bit her lip. Half of her was dying to blurt everything out, but the other half- the logical half- knew that if she told Sirius everything he would probably go downstairs and curse Peter's nose off.

"Sirius it's not fair of you to ask me that."

"It's not fair of you to keep it from me. Since you seem so sure that you're going to change everything, why not pretend it's just a bedtime story and tell me?"

"Because it's not a bedtime story Sirius. It's a horror story filled with torture and pain and evil beings committing evil deeds all in the name of gaining power over those who are weaker than, because they are afraid to commit evil in order to defeat evil." Hermione said sadly.

"Committing an evil act makes you evil Hermione." Sirius whispered back.

Hermione stared at him for a long time.

"Why did you ask me to be your girlfriend Sirius? Truthfully?" Hermione asked him softly, folding her arms and staring at the long haired boy who leant against the door of the dormitory. Sirius stared right back at her and folded his own arms.

"Because I'm in love with you" He told her simply. His blue eyes were the colour of a stormy ocean as he said those words and Hermione couldn't help noticing the way he twisted his hands together like a nervous little kid.

His declaration floored Hermione. It felt like she'd been dying to hear those words her whole life even though she'd only known Sirius a few months in this time. But in spite of how much she longed to say it back to him rather than stand around and fight with him, Hermione knew she couldn't just yet, even if she did feel it.

"How can you say that when you just said that committing an evil act makes a person evil, when you know that I intend to commit the upmost act of evil?" Hermione demanded "I'm talking about murder Sirius! Murder! Do you understand that? In ME I might have convinced you guys that it's useful to have knowledge of dark spells, but I don't think you're really grasping the concept of why I suggested it in the first place Sirius."

"I'm not just doing it because it's fun to get together and duel or because it's fun to learn all these new, exciting forms of magic. I'm doing it because at some stage in my future I intend to end the life of another person. So how can you say that doing so will make me an evil person and then tell me you love me in the next breath Sirius?" hormone felt bewildered and a little bit angry.

She knew that to win this stupid war and keep James, Lily and Sirius from death, to keep Harry from a miserable life with his aunt and uncle, to keep Remus happy and Peter safe, Voldemort had to die. Hermione knew it in her soul. And she wasn't sure she was strong enough to do it herself. She was determined and felt like she could be brave enough if it came down to it. But Hermione remembered Harry telling her about what Bellatrix Lestrange had taught him about the Unforgivables. You had to mean them. Truly mean them. To wield the Killing Curse you had to have the Power and the intent to wipe another person's existence out of this world and into the next. And Hermione truly hoped she would be able to muster enough anger and hatred and cruel intensity to end Voldemort's life.

She would have to, Hermione decided, if she didn't she would lose her friends and Hermione wasn't going to let that happen.

Sirius stared at her and Hermione could tell she had hurt him by not saying it back to him that she was in love with him too, or swooning like a girl is supposed to at being told someone is in love with them.

"I don't know Hermione. I don't know what I think or why I think it or have any idea how to justify it to you." Sirius said, running his hand through his dark hair again. "What I want to know is why you won't tell me everything about the future you came from. I get it that you didn't want me to know that sometimes in the next twenty years I'm going to die, but you let the snitch out of stadium on that one. So why can't you tell me now?"

Hermione sighed heavily as she stared at the boy she was in love with.

"You've told me tonight that three of us die in the next twenty years Hermione, and I'm one of the three. I want to know who the other two are and I want to know why." Sirius's voice took on an edge of grave seriousness as he said that and as Hermione looked into his eyes she knew it was unfair to keep all of these things from him.

Hermione was tired of keeping it all in. She was in way over her head with all of this since wizards had been trying for years to kill Voldemort and none had succeeded in her time except Harry Potter. Hermione needed help and tomorrow she intended to go to Dumbledore and tell him everything she knew so she could get his help and ideas on everything and prevent all the wrongs that would happen if she didn't stop Voldemort. But tonight she needed Sirius Black to know a few of the truths of the future she'd known, not only because she loved him, but because she knew she could trust him with them. With another sigh Hermione let some of her secrets slip out for her boyfriend to hear.

"You were right… Within the next twenty years, unless I can intervene, you're going to die Sirius." Hermione dropped the big one on him, confirming what he already half knew. "In the time I knew before I landed here, you died on the 18th of June in 1996, saving the one person you had left that you loved. And I swear to you right now that I will _not_ let that happen again."

"So I actually do live for the next twenty years?" Sirius asked, seeming slightly shocked to find out his death date. Hermione searched his face with her eyes, taking in the way his brow wrinkled as he frowned and the way his mouth moved into a sharp line.

"Sirius I don't know. That's what happened then. I won't let that happen again. But I can't tell you much else."

"Why the hell not?" Sirius demanded angrily.

"Because things are different this time Sirius."

"Because you're meddling I get that. So why can't you tell me what happens if you don't?"

"No, you misunderstand. I could tell you what happened in my time if I don't meddle here, but I might still be a liar. Things are different here…."

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked her as he leant against the door and stared at her across the room.

"Exactly that. In the time I knew you didn't move in with the Potters until your sixth year, and then came into a large inheritance when you turned seventeen, a gift from your Uncle Alphard. After that you got your own place. Yet in this time you all but moved in with James and the Potters in your first year." Hermione told him, beginning to pace as she tried to make sense of why such a thing would happen. "I don't know why, but me being shot back here seems to have messed with the entire realm of time. The war is supposed to have started too, yet it seems to still be lurking in the shadows. By your sixth year half the school was empty because parents didn't think it was safe to send their kids to school anymore. Attacks happened daily on muggles and muggleborns and anyone who got in Voldemort's way. But here it seems like life is almost normal… like it's still peaceful."

"You think the magical rift that opened to deposit you back here did damage to the rest of the timeline you landed on?" Sirius asked her as he pushed away from the door and walked across the room to sit on his bed.

"I can't think of anything else." Hermione admitted as she watched him.

"When you appeared there was this resounding crack and I suppose it did feel like magic crackled and sizzled in the air around you. Maybe the timeline of my life's been altered because you almost landed on top of me when you appeared. Maybe the magic that tore the rifts of time and space messed with the world around you." Sirius suggested.

"I suppose it's as good an explanation as anything else." Hermione said "But that's why I can't tell you what happened in the future, because it's changing around me without me even doing anything."

"I still want to know Hermione. Even if it never happens I want to know so that I have an idea about the worst case scenario that could happen if you don't commit murder." Sirius said.

Hermione nodded, knowing that if she were in his place she'd have found out the truth months ago.

"What do you want to know Sirius?" Hermione asked him softly as she slowly walked over to his bed and sat down before she shuffled to the middle and crossed her legs up like a pretzel beneath her.

"Everything. Who else dies?" Sirius asked her as he turned around on the bed to face her, copying her stance.

Hermione bit her lip. "Sirius… it will only hurt you to know these things. I don't want to hurt you."

"Keeping it from me hurts me 'Mione."

"Before I tell you… Sirius promise me that no matter what you find out you won't go barmy and tell anyone or hurt anyone." Hermione said, stalling from telling him that his best friend would die.

"Is it that bad?" he asked her. Hermione nodded.

"A real life nightmare. You once described the first war to me as being a time when evil runs riot. You don't know who Voldemort's followers are, you don't know who's working for him and who's not; you know he can control people so that they do terrible things without being able to stop themselves. You're scared for yourself and for your family and your friends. Every week news comes of more disappearances, more death, more torturing… The Ministry of Magic is in disarray, they don't know what to do, they're trying to keep everything from the Muggles, but meanwhile Muggles are dying too. Terror everywhere… panic… confusion… that's how it used to be."

Hermione stared into Sirius's wide eyes.

"That was a direct quote from you on the First War, Sirius. Anything I tell you from here should be taken with that in mind" Hermione cautioned him.

Sirius nodded his head slowly as he absorbed that.

"You still want to know who else died?" Hermione confirmed, hoping he'd say no. but Sirius nodded his head. "You can probably already guess Sirius…. Of our little group of friends three die. You are one of them, and the other two…."Hermione bit her lip and reached out to take Sirius's hand "It was James and Lily."

Sirius stilled at that and Hermione knew he was holding his breath.

"In the time I knew James and Lily got married right out of school and they had a son. He was one year old when Voldemort came for them. James was playing with their son in the lounge and didn't have his wand to defend himself. Lily ran for it with Harry, but Voldemort got her too. He was after the child all along, wanting to kill the boy. He even offered to spare Lily if she gave the boy up, but Lily died to protect her son and in doing so activated some very old magic that allowed the Killing curse to be reversed on Voldemort, who then died." Hermione told him gravely.

Sirius just stared at her like he was in shock. Eventually he spoke.

"Why did you think I was a murderer when you first met me?" he asked her, his voice tight. Hermione bit her lip again.

"Because at the time you had escaped from Azkaban prison."

"Why was I in Azkaban in the first place?" Sirius asked.

"You… you were accused of betraying James and Lily to Voldemort. Of being his biggest follower, his right hand man. You were also accused of killing twelve muggles and one wizard before the authorities caught up to you after James's death. Apparently when the Aurors surrounded you, you didn't even put up a fight. You stood in the street in London dishevelled and laughing manically. You didn't get a trial before they hauled you off to Azkaban. You rotted there for twelve years before you finally escaped."

Sirius looked horrified to hear that and he stayed silent so long that Hermione was sure he didn't want to hear anymore.

"Did I do it 'Mione?" he whispered as he stared down at his lap. He appeared almost terrified.

"Oh Sirius. No of course you didn't. James is your best friend. Your brother. I believe I once heard you say that you would have died rather than betray your friends. You didn't do it. You didn't have their secret to betray." Hermione wondered how hard Sirius had to fight not to give in to the ideals his parents had pushed on him his whole life that he felt he had to ask that question.

"Who did?" Sirius asked darkly.

"That is one thing I won't tell you." Hermione stopped him. There was no way she was going to tell him that Peter betrayed them. It would ruin their friendship and possibly turn Peter away from them.

"Why not?" Sirius snarled.

"Because that will _never_ happen Sirius. I won't let it. If the time comes that James and Lily need a Secret Keeper, which I'm hoping to avoid, that responsibility will fall to Dumbledore. He is the only wizard Voldemort has ever feared and perhaps the only one powerful enough to defeat him. I will not let you have the information you want Sirius. It's too damaging and too powerful and it will hurt you far too much." Hermione told him. "And I love you too much to see you hurt like that again Sirius."

Sirius looked up at her quickly as Hermione said that and she felt a warmth spread through her to see the shock in his eyes to hear her tell him she loved him back.

"What?" Sirius whispered.

"I said I love you too much to give you that piece of information Sirius. It drove you mad last time, I won't let that happen again."

"You love me?" He murmured as he searched her face for something to prove otherwise. Hermione just stared at him warmly.

"I love you Sirius. I have for a long time" she admitted.

In spite of all the horrible things Hermione had told him tonight Sirius Black smiled like a little boy on Christmas morning. Hermione giggle a little when he bounced forwards onto his hands and knees on his bed and crawled towards her until she had to lie back even further before he slowly lowered himself down on top of her. Hermione smiled at him as he wiggled even closer before he lowered his weight down onto her, pressing her against his mattress deliciously and locked his lips to hers, kissing her until Hermione couldn't think straight.

When they came up for air Sirius was smiling like a fool and Hermione smiled back to see him look so happy. Merlin she loved him. And she would never let all the terrible things that could happen, ever happen. She wouldn't let the world dampen that happy, loveable carefree spirit.

"You never answered my question you know 'Mione?" Sirius murmured to her as he cuddled her, beaming down at her handsomely.

"Which question?"

"In the holidays I teased you about fancying me in the time you came from. Did you?" He asked her curiously. Hermione laughed.

"Sirius at the time you were the godfather of my best friend and nineteen years older than me. Fancying you would have been silly and wrong, not to mention a complete waste of time because it would have been one sided." Hermione told him exasperatedly.

"That doesn't mean you didn't." He grinned cheekily.

Hermione watched him for a moment as she thought about the way he had been in her old time.

"I didn't fancy you Sirius. You were far too old for me and there was something about you… You were still handsome in a way, but Azkaban was unkind to you Sirius. Not just to your appearance, which was still dignified and handsome… but it was a rare thing to ever see you smile or laugh. When I spent any real time with you it was when we at headquarters. You weren't allowed to leave the house and you detested being there. It made you grumpy and cranky all the time because you felt useless to the Order. But you couldn't help out with much because you were still on the run from the Ministry since they still thought you were a mass murderer. You spent a lot of time alone and you were very bitter and unhappy in life." Hermione told him sadly, reaching to touch his face and remembering the way he'd been.

"We were friends. I saved your life and helped make sure you got enough to eat while you were on the run. I think you liked me, though I wouldn't say you fancied me. Sometimes you'd talk to me though. That was nice, you always had interesting things to say."

"What did you think of me?" he asked her.

"That you were reckless." Hermione told him bluntly "I thought you were reckless and that your bitterness with the world made you angry and even more reckless. At times it seemed like you wanted your best friend back and thought you'd get him back through your godson. They were identical, you know? Except for the eyes. Harry had Lily's eyes and everyone he met told him so. It made him sad a lot of the time. At times I thought it was unfair of you to expect Harry to be James for you."

Hermione thought about it for a long time.

"The night you died…. There was a big duel between the Order and the Death Eaters…. You and Harry were duelling with a Death Eater together and you called out 'Nice one James' to Harry as you both hurled hexes. Less than a minute later you were hit by a jet of light as a spell struck you in the chest…. Harry watched the smile slip off your face and the light and laughter leave your eyes as you fell back through that awful veil."

Hermione's eyes were unfocused as she watched the moment Sirius had died in her mind again. Sirius stared at her, listening to every word and trying to understand the horror she must have felt to see her best friend lose his godfather like that.

"It was me wasn't it?" Sirius murmured to her suddenly. "When you were talking about Thestrals at home and only being able to see them if you see someone die, you were looking at me strangely…. It was me you saw die." Sirius murmured in horror.

"It was you…" Hermione whispered brokenly "I didn't love you then, but Merlin it hurt me."

Hermione's voice cracked as she said those words "You were my friend and until that moment….. Until you fell…. It didn't really seem real. The war was happening all around us, people were dying. We knew it, we learned of more deaths and disappearances every day. But until that moment it wasn't quite real to me Sirius." Hermione told him as a tear escaped her eyes and trickled down her cheeks "Promise me something Sirius?"

"Anything, love." Sirius whispered tenderly as he wiped at the tears on her cheeks. Tears for him.

"Promise me that no matter what happens, you'll never go into the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry."

"I promise" Sirius told her softly as he stared into her shining chocolate brown eyes lovingly.

Hermione sighed before she leant up and brushed her lips against his.

For better or worse she was going to do whatever it took to make sure that someday Sirius Black would die a very old man with a beard and hair longer than Dumbledore's and a whole mess of children and grandchildren who loved him. He would be a jovial, happy old man and the only things that would ever mar his handsomeness would be age and the stress of having several children.

Because Hermione Granger hadn't been called the smartest witch of her age for nothing and if she couldn't put her head together with those of her friends and with Dumbledore and come up with some sort of solution to the war that was going to explode onto their doorstep, she didn't deserve the title. She would see to it that the lives lost in her time would this time live to tell the tale, preferably without ever knowing of the darkness that was poisoning the world. Hermione would make sure that no matter what, the people she loved would never been torn apart again. And right now she was wand over broom in love with Sirius Black.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

"Oi! Get out of it you two and let us in!" James Potter's gleeful voice shouted from outside the locked door and Hermione and Sirius both jumped, startled out of the tender kisses they shared.

"Time to go and meet up with Moony, love" Sirius murmured to Hermione as he pulled out his wand and waved it towards the door to unlock it and to disable the silencing charm she'd put around them. Hermione giggled when instead of turning towards the door which suddenly flew open with a bang, Sirius leant back down on top of her and kissed her again.

"Oh yuck! Would you two give it a rest?" Lily laughed when she saw the way Hermione's hands dug into Sirius's long hair as he kissed the daylights out of her and made Hermione think that she would much rather stay here in his bed with him all night than go out in the cold to run around with Moony. Eventually, Sirius pulled back from her, though Hermione couldn't help but laugh again when she realised that it was because James was pulling his hair and not because he wanted to stop kissing her.

He made a snarling noise at James and swatted his hand away before he smiled back down at Hermione.

"I love you 'Mione" Sirius told her softly in front of their friends, making Hermione blush like an albino with a sunburn. In spite of that she couldn't keep from smiling at the way his eyes gleamed with feeling.

"I love you too Sirius" Hermione whispered "More than you know."


	22. Warrior

Chapter 22: Warrior.

When Hermione slowly let the door inside the creaking house known as the Shrieking Shack open, she had to admit, she felt nervous. She knew she could quickly transform into a fox and prevent herself being infected with Lycanthropy, but it was a small comfort. When the door creaked open, the animal inside stopped snarling, and yellow wolf eyes glowed five feet up within the darkness of the room.

"Are you ready to go?" Hermione asked, forcing herself to be calm in spite of the way the predator held her in his sights. It had occurred to her that he might want proof that she still wasn't afraid of him, even when he was a five foot high werewolf, lethal and deadly. Known only for aggressiveness, towards even the closest friends.

She could feel herself start to be afraid when the werewolf moved slightly, but Hermione took a deep breath in, exhaling her fear, pushing it completely out of her mind. She squared her shoulders as the feral snarl ripped from the throat of the werewolf and Hermione stood completely still as those yellow eyes were suddenly in motion. Hermione was certain that she was about to be mauled as she realised Remus was leaping towards her, snarling furiously in preparation to rip her throat out but she didn't move. If he kept coming she could turn into a fox in time to keep from being infected…. She hoped. Lifting her chin probably wasn't the smartest thing she could do, but years of practice had her doing just that, exposing her throat to the werewolf leaping towards her.

Hermione bit her bottom lip to keep from gasping when the werewolf cut his leap short. All four of his paws thudded heavily to the floor directly in front of Hermione and the werewolf drew himself up to his full height. Slowly Hermione lowered her chin again, looking into the yellow eyes that stared at her so intently. They still glowed, but Hermione could swear that she saw approval flashing there.

"Remus?" Hermione asked softly, trying to understand why he hadn't attacked her if the wolf was in control. The wolf in front of her slowly shook it's head. Hermione tilted her head to the side.

"Moony?" she tried again, wondering if the nicknames the Marauders had invented for themselves had seeped into the mind of the wolf. Could it be that the wolfish part of Remus's soul believed his name to be Moony.

The fur covered wolf nodded his wolf head and Hermione smiled gently, making sure not to show her teeth in case he took it to be her silently snarling at him.

"It's nice to see you, Moony" Hermione told him softly "Did animagi help at all with the pain of the transformation?" Hermione had to know, thought she wasn't entirely certainly he wolf could process thoughts the same way a human could. While he wasn't entirely an animal, he wasn't human either. Not completely.

For half a moment Hermione expected him to react the same way a dog would, perhaps letting his tongue loll out of his mouth and panting. But a werewolf was far to refined for such displays apparently. Though Hermione tried not to smile when he tilted his head a little to the side. Hermione assumed he didn't quite understand what she had asked and she resigned herself to waiting until morning so that she could ask Remus instead of Moony.

Wondering how he was curbing the werewolf aggression, Hermione slowly took her hand out of her pocket and lifted, making sure he could see what she was doing and that she meant him no threat or harm. His eyes watched it closely, looking away from her eyes to zero in on her hand.

"Moony…. May I?" Hermione asked the werewolf softly, letting her hand move slowly towards him, asking his permission to touch him even while he was werewolf and she was human. The wolf quivered, still not taking his eyes off her hand. He made no other move and gave no indication that he didn't want her to touch him, so Hermione kept moving until her fingers brushed against his wolfish ear. His thick fur tickled her palm for a moment and Hermione tried not to tense up in surprise when Moony leant his massive head into her palm. He didn't make a sound, but his eyes left her hand to return to her face.

For a long time they stood there like that and Hermione knew the rest of their friends would be getting nervous by now. But she couldn't quite believe the way Moony was so controlled, so still as he stared at her. She'd seen him transform once before, seen the way he'd intended to attack them all, and had attack Sirius. Yet he stood here now, watching her without so much as a growl while she touched him.

Could it really be that werewolves had such trouble with themselves because they hated their condition and didn't trust themselves? Could it be that simple? Hermione pushed logic aside for now, knowing that they needed to get going.

"We should probably get going Moony" Hermione whispered, still gently scratching behind the werewolf's ears "The others are waiting for us, and you missed dinner. We'd better find you something to eat."

His eyes dilated at the word eat, but Hermione didn't take her eyes away from his, nor her hand from his fur.

"Do you think you can meet the other tonight if they are human Moony?" Hermione asked him "I know they'd all like for you to."

She was surprised that he seemed to understand what he was asking her when he slowly shook his head.

"Would you like me to transform before we move?" She asked him. He watched her a while longer before he very slowly shook his head. He looked hesitant as he did it though.

"How about if you give me a little growl when you want me to transform, if it gets to be too much for you?" Hermione asked him, taking slow step o turn so that she could walk down the hallway and out of the Shrieking Shack with a werewolf by her side. Moony nodded and padded along beside her. The others were downstairs in their animal forms and even as animals Hermione knew they gasped in surprise when Hermione walked down the steps as a human with her hands in Moony's fur.

"It's time to go. Peter, could you get the knot so we don't all get Whomped as we leave?" Hermione asked. Before the rat could scurry away though. Moony thudded one paw to the ground and shook his head.

"You don't want to go that way?" Hermione asked him, confused.

Moony pointed his snout to one of the sealed doors. They had reached the bottom of the stairs by that point and the other animals in the room came towards Hermione and Moony slowly. They flanked the pair as Hermione walked over to the door with the werewolf beside her. She tried the knob on the door, but it wouldn't budge.

"I think it's magically sealed to keep anyone from getting in here." Hermione said to her friends "I could open it still, but you'll all need to move back a little." Hermione was surprised when Moony turned to look at her, and she held very still as his muzzle came very close to her face. She held her breath when his tongue poked out and he licked her cheek before he stepped back several paces.

As she twirled her wand and used _Bombarda_ to blast open the door, Hermione was very aware of the animals behind her. She looked back at them as a moonbeam glimmered brightly through the hole she had made in the wall. Moony was quivering as though it took all of his strength to stay in one place but Hermione met his yellow gaze. He very deliberately let out a little growl as he watched her and Hermione realised he was telling her she needed to transform now.

Pulling on the magic within herself, Hermione pocketed her wand and transformed into a little red fox with an incredibly bushy tail. As she did so, the massive werewolf exploded out his standing position, flinging himself out into the moonlight and letting his head drop back to howl.

* * *

The howl of the werewolf echoed in Hermione's head as she trotted next to the badger and the giant fluffy black dog. It had to be getting close to dawn because Remus had begun to slow his rabid pace, loping easily. Hermione couldn't believe what had happened in the last twenty-four hours.

She had looked into the eyes of a werewolf without fear, offering him the trust he so needed and changed his life. She and Sirius were a couple, making him her first ever boyfriend, which Hermione was still pleased about. She'd also admitted to him that she was in love with him, and that in the next twenty years, he, James and Lily would all die if Hermione couldn't come up with some solution. When they had all crept out of the castle, Hermione had had to fight to keep from screaming when Sirius had pulled her onto his broom in front of him and leapt out the window since they were all too big and there was too many of them to sneak out of the castle under James's Invisibility Cloak.

After an entire night spent running around with a werewolf, Hermione wondered how she would cope getting up for class tomorrow. Beside her in the moonlight, Hermione noticed Sirius's ears twitching back and forth as though he could hear something. Could it be someone out and about that might run into the most peculiar sight. After all, a werewolf loping along in the moonlight wasn't exactly an everyday sighting, but a werewolf being followed and flanked by a dog, a stag, a badger, a rat and a fox…. That was certainly a sight to behold.

Hermione slowed to a stop when Sirius suddenly hit his breaks, though she waved the rest of them on with Moony to make sure nothing happened. Hermione tipped her head to one side, asking Sirius what was wrong and he twitched his ears back and forth before he tossed his head to one side and turned towards the town they had managed to skirt Moony around. Wondering what it could be, Hermione bounded after him pricking her owns ears trying to catch anything that might indicate what could be causing it.

She heard the sounds right around the same time that she noticed a house lit up like a Christmas tree with multicoloured flashes of light. Immediately she realised the lights were caused by spells, and Hermione knew they were unfriendly because she could hear shouting and screaming.

"Sirius stop." Hermione hissed, transforming quickly. Sirius turned to look at her before he too changed back to a human.

"Hermione can't you hear that?" he hissed "Look at that. I'll bet that red light is from a stunning spell. Someone is screaming."

"I can hear the screaming Sirius, but you can't just charge in there. You don't know who it is, we need more information."

"We need to save whoever is screaming like that" Sirius argued, striding towards the sound.

Hermione leapt into action as soon as she saw what was happening. She didn't know what was going on inside the dark house, but as Sirius leapt the low white garden fence that surrounded the lone house on the outskirt of a little town, Hermione's well trained eyes picked up movement in the darkness. Without a sound Hermione hurled a stunner at the moving black shape hiding beneath the shadow of the eaves.

A wizard slumped to the ground as the jet of green light he had unleashed whizzed by Sirius, missing him by only a few inches.

"Sirius! Stop!" Hermione hissed sternly, even as the metal cables shot out of the end of her wand so she could bind the wizard in Death Eater garb where he slumped on the ground unconscious.

"You could have died you idiot!" Hermione snapped "Now stop thinking like a twelve year old and get a hold of your impulsiveness. If you can't be level headed in this, then I'm going to stun you to keep you from getting killed."

"Hermione we have to help." Sirius growled.

"Yes we do. And it's hard to do that if we're dead. We need to take them all out and I'd like to do it in a way that keeps out identity hidden and lets us capture all of them." Hermione snapped.

She waved her wand as she projected her thoughts and Hermione held her breath as the white light glowed at the end of her wand before it disappeared. She'd sent her Patronus to Dumbledore. He would be able to see to it that these evil people were locked in Azkaban rather than getting away with murder.

"Sirius, I need you to be alert for anyone watching us. There'll be more than one guard and we need to incapacitate them before we go inside. Sirius, forget the screaming. We need to do this right. Focus. Come on." Hermione whispered as she strode around the perimeter.

The guard hiding in the garden by the rear entrance never saw them coming and Hermione had him Stunned and bound before he even knew they were there.

"Now, we need to get inside. And you're not going to fit through that cat door." Hermione whispered as she and Sirius crouched in the garden by the back door of this house. "Sirius. I want you to meet Dumbledore. He'll be here in a moment I suspect. Along with some Order members. I'm going to transform and creep inside. We can't let any of these people get away."

"Hermione I'm not just standing here. I'm not letting you go in there by yourself, so don't even try to argue with me. Go in though the door as a fox and hide, cause a small disturbance and I'll follow you in."

Hermione didn't like it, but she knew Sirius wouldn't stay put. Pocketing her wand she transformed and crept through the cat door as a fox, thanking her stars that she hadn't ended up as a Dragon animagus. The screaming coming from inside the house told Hermione that someone was being tortured with the Cruciatus Curse and Hermione's blood chilled as she crept through the dark house to the upstairs bedroom.

Inside the master bedroom were several people and Hermione nearly lost it when she saw someone in a Death Eater mask torturing a little girl while her brother was bleeding out on the floor. The boy's throat had been cut and Hermione's stomach curled. He couldn't be more than ten years old. The little girl was even younger, only looking about seven as she writhed and screamed on the bedroom floor. She was bleeding too, her nose looked broken. Her parents were both kneeling and bleeding, held at wand and knife point by two other Death Eaters as they interrogated them about something.

Hermione stared down the hallway as she hid behind a table and transformed back. Sirius watched her from behind a grandfather clock and Hermione held up three fingers to tell him how many they were dealing with. Sirius nodded gravely, his wand at the ready.

Hiding behind a table in the hall, Hermione let out a foxlike yelp.

Almost instantly, the little girl's screaming stopped and the Death Eater strode angrily into the hall. Hermione had transformed and as she Stunned and bound the wizard, Sirius leapt from behind a Grandfather clock further down the hall. He was in the bedroom before Hermione cold stop him and she hissed when all hell broke loose inside. Hermione skidded inside just in time to see one Death Eater writhing on the floor clutching his face.

Her heart stopped when she saw purple light collide with Sirius's chest and Hermione's gaze landed on the Death Eater responsible for the curse as Sirius feel to his knees, screaming in pain.

"Fuck you, Bitch!" Hermione screamed, realising that the Death Eater was a woman with an evil smile. Hermione didn't know what made her wand in this time so much more powerful than the one in her original time, but as she swore at the woman while rattling off curses in her head, a multicoloured stream of light burst from her wand tip. Hermione barely noticed the green spell aimed at her as whatever was coming out of her wand obliterated the spell and collided with the torso of the woman who been interrogating these people. It lit up the whole house with multicoloured lights as there was a bang as the magic spewing out of Hermione's wand collided with the Death Eater.

She exploded backwards, slamming into the wall and cracking the sheetrock, she kept on flying backwards and Hermione smiled in evil satisfaction as the woman crumpled to a bloody, unconscious heap on the floor of the next room.

Writhing metal cables gleamed in the moonlight as they shot from the end of Hermione's wand to wrap around the Death Eaters and Hermione took a deep breath as she realised they'd won the little battle. Feet pounded in the hallway as Hermione went to Sirius's side. He wasn't unconscious, but he was in bad shape. Hermione tore his shirt open looking for the source of his blood and gasped in horror when she realised that the spell he'd been hit with had re-opened every wound he'd ever had, opening faded old scars and shiny new ones alike. The scars on his chest and arms from Remus's attack months ago had re-opened and he was losing a lot of blood. Hermione wanted to cry as he stared up at her in agony, but she bit down on her lip and set to work on healing charms hoping they might do something.

"Hermione?" the voice of Professor Dumbledore rumbled in shock from the doorway and Hermione looked into the stern blue eyes of her Headmaster. She'd never been so happy to see him, even if the threats had been disposed of. She wasn't having much luck healing her boyfriend and the people she had saved had scurried away from her in terror

"Did you find them all Professor? I bound them all so they wouldn't be able to disapparate or fight anymore. We took the wands from the two outside as well." Hermione asked breathlessly before turning back to Sirius and waving her wand over his scars trying to re-seal them.

"What happened here?" another voice demanded in a familiar growl and Hermione looked up into a much younger version of the face of Alastor Moody.

"Auror Moody" Hermione greeted him, still kneeling in front of Sirius who was gasping in pain and clenching his teeth as Hermione had a little bit of success as sealing his wounds again, though it seemed to be incredibly painful and Hermione realised the torn flesh was knitting itself slowly back together beneath her wand. "I don't suppose you are better at healing charms than I am. These wounds need to be re-sealed before Sirius bleeds to death, and the little boy over there needs immediate attention, the Death Eaters cut his throat and he was still coughing and gasping when I got here, but he may already be dead form the way his family is wailing."

Hermione glanced the people she had saved. The parents had collected their children and were all curled up on the bed as far from Hermione as they could get. Their eyes were wide and fearful and Hermione realised sadly that they were just a muggle family. They all screamed, the little girl in pain and fear, and the mother as she rocked the boy's lifeless body back and forth. The father had hold of his little girl and his wife but he never took his eyes off the people in his house.

"Who are you?" Moody demanded, not taking his eyes or wand off Hermione. Hermione looked away from the eyes of the man she had saved, into the much more startling ones of Mad-Eye Moody

"Alastor this is my goddaughter, Hermione Peverell. She's the one who called for our help and had me rouse the Order at this hour. I think she may be the reason there is anyone elft alive to be saved." Dumbledore explained before stooping over Sirius for a moment. "You're going to need a stay in the Infirmary tonight I'm afraid Mr. Black. You've lost too much blood, though I've managed to seal all of your wounds again, and you'll be weak for a few days while we give you some Blood Replenishment potions."

Hermione got to her feet as Dumbledore healed Sirius. She was covered in blood and had sticks and grass in her hair from running around as a fox with a werewolf all night. She was still clutching her wand, eyes still searching for another threat to eliminate but she forced herself to focus on Mad-Eye.

"Auror Moody, I'm Hermione. It's a pleasure to meet you, now would you mind lowering your wand while I explain what happened here?" Hermione said calmly, offering her hand to Mad-Eye to shake.

He didn't lower his wand completely though he did point it at her chest instead of her face. He did shook her hand firmly and then clutched it tight as he glared at her.

"As you can see, there has been a Death Eater attack. There are three in here that we found and incapacitated, as well as the two outside. They are all stunned and bound, though the woman may need medical attention. I don't fully understand what I did to her and will need to discuss it with Professor Dumbledore. Sirius and I heard and saw a disturbance here and came to investigate since jets of light and screaming at four in the morning didn't seem normal." Hermione explained as Dumbledore helped Sirius to his feet. "We got the two guards outside, one of whom tried to _Avada_ Sirius on sight, then we came up here and managed to distract them from what they were doing. They were torturing that little girl, while hold her parents at wand and knife point, interrogating them about something. The boy was bleeding out on the floor, his throat has been cut. I hope he isn't dead. We drew the torturer out into the hall and stunned him. Sirius rushed in here and stunned that one before they could react. The woman through the wall hit him with a curse that seems to have opened up every scar he's ever had. When he fell, I may have lost my calm for a moment. I don't know what spells and curses came out of my wand, though they were simultaneous and the lights where multicoloured. They obliterated the green _Avada Kedavra_ curse she aimed at me and threw her though that wall. I bound her too and then you all showed up."

Moody didn't let his mouth drop open but Hermione suspected he was impressed.

"When did you alert me Hermione?" Dumbledore asked her softly.

"After we immobilised the first guy. I sent word to you to come to this address, with back-up from the Order. We're going to need Healers for these people, and probably Memory Modifiers from the Ministry since I'm almost certain they are all muggles."

"How did a pair of school kids happen to be out of bed and away from Hogwarts at four in the morning on a Wednesday?" Moody growled, still clutching her hand and training his wand on Hermione's face.

Hermione sighed. She hadn't thought this far ahead when she'd called for help from Dumbledore. She'd only been thinking about making sure these people were saved and that the Death Eaters were properly dealt with. She'd almost forgotten that she and Sirius weren't supposed to be out of bed or out of school to help here. She'd only thought about helping. How could she explain that she and her friends were illegal Animagi out of bed on a full moon to break their werewolf buddy out of the sanctuary Dumbledore had created to keep everyone safe while Remus transformed?

Taking a deep breath, Hermione remembered that she intended to tell Professor Dumbledore everything she knew and save everyone she could.

"I need to talk to you about a few things Albus, there are a whole lot of things you need to know." Hermione said calmly.

"Little Girl you tell me right now what you were doing here or I'll have you interrogated to find out if you and your boyfriend are in league with these Death Eaters." Moody growled at her ferociously.

"Alastor" Hermione said, looking the man in both eyes "I am the one person you should never suspect of being in league with Voldemort or his followers."

"I'm not stupid little girl. You're not supposed to be here, yet here you stand with blood on your hands, a boyfriend who's half dead from blood loss, a dead muggle-born wizard and a terrorised muggle family. Five incapacitated Death Eaters does not clear your name. How do I know you're not the leader of this little venture?"

"Alastor, Hermione is my goddaughter, I can assure you…" Dumbledore tried to defend her but Hermione cut him off.

"Auror Moody, you can be sure I'm not the leader of this venture and you can be sure I'm not in league with Voldemort, because as soon as I have the chance, I will be the one you'll need to look for when you want to convict someone for that bastard's murder." Hermione's voice was sharp and cold. "If you don't believe me, I will be more than happy to be interrogated with Veritaserum, but until then I would think the most important thing would be to get these monsters to Azkanban Prison, pending their trials before the Wizenagamot. It would also be beneficial I believe, if someone were to heal the broken nose of the little girl who was victim to the Cruciatus curse this evening, as well as interrogating her family about why they were targeted by Death Eaters and then allowing to grieve pointless the death of their son in peace. However, if you want to stand there and point your wand at me, ignoing all of those things, then maybe we should be pointing our wands at you. As an Auror I would think the most important thing would be for you to make sure the dark wizards who've committed murder and torture here tonight are taken into custody. I already did the hard work here. Would you like me to do the rest of your job for you as well?" Hermione spat at him in disgust. His suspicious nature had always bugged her, and Hermione knew it made him an excellent Auror, but he was wasting time.

Sirius Black stared at his girlfriend amid the destroyed bedroom. Her hair was dishevelled from running around as a fox all night and from duelling. Her face was flushed from exertion and mottled with anger as she glared at the Auror. Sirius's blood was on her hands and shirt, she even had a smear of it on her cheek where she must have brushed her hair away from her face. Her face was open and honest as she stared down the Auror accusing her of such horrid deeds and gave him a mouthful about not evening doing his job correctly. Sirius could hear the conviction in her voice and he saw the shock flash across his Headmaster's face at her certainty that she would one day commit murder but hadn't today. The Auror just glared at her, still pointing his wand into her face.

As Sirius stared at her, he realised that all the ME stuff they'd been doing hadn't been enough. Compared to Hermione, he had been sloppy and irrational in the face of this attack. She had been calm, cold, almost unfeeling as she had disposed of the threats. She'd kept her focus, not just on getting the job done, but on getting it done in such a way that they had all survived. If he had listened to her plan instead of rushing in here, he wouldn't be weak with blood loss and feeling sick to his stomach from being cursed, and from seeing all the blood on the floor from the boy with his throat cut.

Sirius suddenly looked at Hermione differently. She was brilliant and clever and beautiful and brave. But as he looked at her now in the aftermath of her performance here, Sirius realised that Hermione was more than that. She was a warrior. A well trained, powerful fighter who didn't let anything interfere with the completion of her mission. The boy with his throat cut hadn't distracted her from her task, neither had seeing a little girl writhe and scream in agony as she was tortured. The only time Hermione had lost her calm was when she had screamed angrily as she'd seen him fall to the floor.

He'd seen the magic that came shooting out of her wand like dragon fire. It was like nothing he'd ever seen or even heard of and to be honest, it scared him. It was so incredibly powerful and she seemed to have understanding or control of it, yet she had wielded it with conviction and unwavering lethality.

"Professor…"Sirius began, appealing to Dumbledore "We need to get everything under control here, and then we can sort out everything with Hermione afterwards. She's been with me all night. She's not involved in this. She could never be involved in something like this. But I can tell you she's the only reason that me or any of these other people are still alive."

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys, thanks for all the reviews and sorry for the slow update. I hope this chapter is nice and exciting enough for you to make up for my slowness. I've been working on another fan fic called _Soft Mysteries_. As well as that, i'm trying to get an update posted for each of my 4 fanfics. Got to kee all of my fans happy with me. I hope you love this chapter. Please review. Much Love xx-Kitten.**


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